Power of Suggestion
by TStabler
Summary: When someone tells you something often enough, you start to believe it. Even if it's not true. Sometimes, a mere suggestion can make you realize the truth. What happens when Kathy makes a small accusation against Elliot, and he realizes she's right? E/O
1. Until Now

**A/N: Another original fic, not a request this time! =) But I'm working on the requests, I swear! This idea came to me while I watching SVU, but it had nothing to do with what was going on in the show...o..O AU-ishness: Liv and El have been partners for four years. Twins are 11, Kathleen is 14, Maureen is 15. NOT a true affair fic...yet ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

"This is the last of them, honey," Elliot said, bringing the dirty dishes into Kathy to wash.

Kathy took them from him and dropped them into the sink. "Thanks," she said, ignoring Elliot's attempt at kissing her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Elliot asked, folding his arms, his lips still puckered.

"She's here, again!" Kathy spat in a harsh whisper. "Really, Elliot? This is the fourth time this week you've brought her home with you."

Elliot raised his eyebrows and scoffed. "You love Olivia!"

"No, Elliot, you do!" Kathy barked, splashing the sponge into the sink.

"What?" Elliot asked, honestly surprised.

Kathy spun around and looked at him, then pointed over her shoulder. "You mean you don't? You spend all day, all night, sometimes days and nights on end with her, and you expect me to believe that you have never had a single unprofessional thought about her?"

"Kathy!" Elliot said, furrowing his brow. "Why are you...you're asking me this again? You think there's something going on between me and Liv? How many times do I have to tell you..."

"Can you blame me?" Kathy sighed, then looked into the dining room, where her kids were happily talking to, and playing with, Olivia. "Look at her, Elliot. She's gorgeous, the kids love her, and there's not a mean bone in her body unless she's in 'cop-mode'. She's talented and she's brilliant. She's saved your life, a hundred times at least, and you've saved hers just as much, and you can trade war stories and compare scars over beer and burgers. What other woman do you know who can go toe-to-toe with you when you're drinking?"

"I don't know any," Elliot said, his face struck frozen in thought.

"The way you two are with each other," Kathy said, "And the joking around and the...I'll say it, Elliot, the flirting. You two flirt! The way you look at her sometimes, like you're doing right now with that goofy grin, it makes me wonder if you're sleeping with her when you tell me you're working late. If you ever want to. And as your wife, Elliot, that's a scary thing to worry about. Especially since it's not really you that I don't trust in this situation." She shot Olivia a small glare, then relaxed. "But, then again, I could be overreacting."

Elliot, shocked, said, "I've never slept with her, Kathy. I've never even thought about it." He kissed his wife on the cheek and walked out of the kitchen. "Until now," he mumbled under his breath. He walked back into the dining room with the most devilish smirk on his face, chuckling to himself. His wife just made him realize that he was falling in love with his partner. His own wife just planted the seed, gave him the idea, and somewhere in the back of his mind he made a vow to get her to love him back. "What are you two doing?" he asked, looking down.

"Hey, El," Olivia said, looking up from under the table, with Dickie on her head. "We're playing 'Attack Liv', apparently."

"Oh, I like that game," Elliot said, his eyes narrowing. "Mo, Katie, Lizzie?"

"Yeah, Daddy?" Kathleen replied, looking at her sisters.

Elliot's smirk grew more vicious, and he leaned over, looked down at Olivia, and yelled, "Get her!"

"What?" Olivia said, her eyes widening. "Elliot!" she yelped.

Elliot laughed as he, and all four of his children, piled onto the floor and tickled Olivia, relentlessly. As Olivia laughed hysterically, squealing and writhing on the floor, Elliot's hands, thanks to the new, amoral thoughts in his head, ran over her body, tickling playfully, but hitting spots he should have never been allowed to touch.

When Olivia felt his fingers graze her left nipple, she stopped laughing and she gasped, as Elliot did, and shot up off the floor.

"Are you okay?" Maureen asked, calming her own laughter.

"Yeah," Olivia said, chuckling. "I just, uh, needed to breathe. You guys gotta learn when to stop." She turned her head and looked into Elliot's eyes. "Especially Daddy."

Elliot's eyes darkened, uncontrollably. The look in her eyes gave him chills. Both good and bad. "Sorry, Liv," he said, softly.

"Yeah," Olivia said, just as softly. "I should go," she added.

Elliot blinked. "No," he said. "You don't have to..."

"I think I..." she was interrupted when her phone rang. She answered the call, with Dickie still crawling on her shoulders, and rolled her eyes. She listened, nodded, and said, "Okay. Yeah. On it." She snapped her phone shut and pulled Dickie off her head. "Okay, buddy, Mount Olivia has been conquered, and now I have to go."

"You don't have to go, Liv!" Elliot said, sternly.

"Yeah, El, I do. And you have to come with me," she said, raising an eyebrow. "We have a vic at Saint Vincent's." Olivia kissed Dickie's forehead, then repeated the action with the three girls.

Elliot felt a tug at his heart, watching this, and looked up, noticing his wife in the kitchen doorway. He briefly wondered how long she'd been standing there, but Olivia slapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention. "Let's go," Olivia said to him. "Bye, Kathy. Thank you so much for dinner. I promise, I won't let him drag me here tomorrow."

"Bye, Olivia," Kathy said, with a small smile. "He can drag you here anytime he wants." She said it, knowing Elliot expected her to, but she didn't mean it. She watched Elliot grab his jacket, and walk Olivia to the door, then she watched his hand move to the small of her back, an intimate gesture for partners. She laughed when she saw Olivia smack him in the stomach and he moved his hand, and then she thought that maybe it _was_ Elliot she shouldn't trust after all.

* * *

"I hate this part," Elliot said, sitting on a metal chair in the waiting room of the emergency room.

Olivia peered down at him, holding his chin in one hand and a wet cotton ball in the other, as she dabbed the blood away from his eye. "Next time, I'll tell the father we need a DNA sample, and I'll take the shot to the face," she said. "Hold still!"

"That hurts!" Elliot yelped.

"You have been shot, stabbed, punched, and kicked," Olivia listed with a raised eyebrow, "And me putting a little peroxide on a cut hurts?"

Elliot nodded. "You're lucky I'm even letting you do this! I hate this shit, that's why I wouldn't let the nurse touch me," he spat.

"Big baby," Olivia teased. She blew lightly on the cut as it bubbled and fizzed, and Elliot's eyes fluttered shut. "Better?" she asked.

"God, yes," Elliot whispered. He opened his eyes and saw Olivia, staring back into them, her brown eyes almost black. His breath hitched. He moved closer, to see what she would do, and she remained perfectly still, her eyes locked on his. Just as their lips were about to touch, her cell phone rang.

Olivia jumped back a solid foot. She handed Elliot an ice-pack as she said, "Benson," into her phone. "Oh, hey," she said, trying to drop her voice. It only made Elliot listen even closer. "I'm working. Yes, with him, he's my partner. What? No! I am not sleeping with...I'm at the hospital with a traumatized thirteen-year-old, do you wanna come down here and check?" She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Excuse me," she said to the nurse walking by. "Can you tell the asshole on the other end of this phone call where I am and then hang up on him? Try to sound angry when you do it."

The nurse looked at her like she was nuts, but took the phone. "Um, hello? Detective Benson is in the emergency room at Saint Vincent's." She snapped the phone shut as hard as she could. "How was that?"

"Perfect," Olivia said with a smile and a nod. She took her phone back and plopped into the chair next to Elliot with another sigh. She held up three fingers and said, "I should just get a few cats and learn how to knit now. Third guy this year that couldn't handle this."

Elliot chuckled. "Doug didn't deserve you anyway, Liv."

Olivia rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "How's your eye?" she asked, dropping her head against the wall.

"Not black yet," he said, making a face. "He thought you were sleeping with me?"

"They always do," Olivia said. "By the third dinner I miss, or the fourth time I don't call because I'm on a case, they jump right to that conclusion." Her eyes closed and she heard him sigh. "I hear it so often, even I'm starting to think I'm sleeping with you. I can't believe he thought..."

"Ya know, uh," Elliot began. "Kathy said the same thing to me today."

Olivia opened one eye and smirked. "You do sleep with yourself, El. Don't fucking deny it," she joked.

Elliot laughed and his jaw dropped. "She accused me of sleeping with you," he said, slapping her in the arm.

"Well, you're not," Olivia said chuckling. "So you're marriage is safe. I, on the other hand, can't even get a second date with a decent guy, let alone get married."

Elliot grinned. He has the perfect way to find out if anything, anything at all, could ever possibly happen between him and his partner, and he was praying she'd go along with it. He cleared his throat and patted her lag. "I know a guy, Liv...."

"No," Olivia said, picking her head up and shaking it. "No way in hell, Elliot."

"Olivia, I swear, you're gonna love him," Elliot said. "Well, I hope you will. Just meet him for drinks at Jake's. Friday night."

Olivia scoffed and shook her head again. "El, I am not going out with..."

"Liv, come on," he said, cutting her off again. "Just do me a favor and have a drink with him, then see where the night goes."

Olivia shook her head and chuckled. "El, I really don't think so."

"Liv, would I set you up with someone I didn't think would be good to you?" Elliot asked,

"No," Olivia said, scratching her head. "You wouldn't."

Elliot smirked. "Just, promise me that you will show up at Jake's, after work on Friday, and you won't leave until you talk to him."

"Okay," Olivia said on an exhaled breath. "Jake's, eleven-thirty, Friday. I swear to God, if you send Munch in there with a party hat on..."

"Liv," Elliot laughed. "It's not Munch. He, uh, he is a cop though."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I reserve the right to kick your ass if this goes badly."

"Deal," Elliot said. And as Olivia got up to talk to the doctor who'd walked out of their vic's room, Elliot sighed. He prayed she wouldn't kick his ass when she found out he set her up with himself.

**A/N: Wow, way to go, Kathy! Should I continue? Reviews will let me know!**


	2. A Promise

**A/N: Blind dates are never fun and exciting. Unless you don't realize it's a date...**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

Friday night. Eleven fifty-five. Olivia was sitting on a bar stool at Jake's, nursing a gin and tonic, looking around nervously. What if he was already here and she'd been ignoring him? What if he saw her and walked away? She was gonna kill Elliot the next time she saw him. She didn't have to wait long, because Elliot walked into the bar, strode over to her, sneaking up on her, and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"Nope," Olivia said, smirking. "If you sit there, though, I'm kicking your ass."

"Go ahead," Elliot said, sighing. He got the bartender's attention, ordered Olivia another drink and got himself a beer, then turned to her. His eyes traveled the length of her body, his mouth watered slightly when he focused on her cherry-red lips, and he shifted in his seat as his physical reaction to her curves and facial expression became painful. "You look gorgeous," he said, softly.

"Thanks," Olivia shrugged. Then she scoffed. "I get all dolled up for some guy I don't even know and the only person who gets to see me like this is you. It figures."

"I feel special," Elliot joked. "And you do know the guy, Liv."

Olivia knocked back her drink and chuckled. "That explains why I'm sitting here with you and not him. He already knew me, knew what he'd be getting himself into, knew he'd eventually have to compete with you and my gun."

"He's not afraid of your gun," Elliot scoffed.

"Can we talk about something else?" Olivia laughed, rolling her eyes. "Shouldn't you be at home with your family?"

Elliot shook his head. "This is where I need to be tonight," he said, smiling at her. "So, uh, why don't you just talk to me the way you were gonna talk to him?"

"What?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrow.

Elliot made a face and shrugged a bit, then said, "I don't wanna talk about work or my family tonight. Why don't we have the kind of conversation you would have had with your date? Forget about real life for a while and just be Olivia and Elliot. Liv and El."

Olivia smiled and nodded. "I'd like that. Okay," she said. "My opener was gonna be 'how do you know Elliot," but I don't need to ask that," she laughed. "Next question, 'what made you decide to be a cop', I already know your answer to that. Um, oh, here's something! You're stuck on a deserted island and you only have three things with you. What are they?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You ask that to guys on your first dates? No wonder you never get a second one."

Olivia slapped him in the arm, chuckling. "Answer the question, Stabler."

"Okay. Um, a boat, a paddle, and a map. I'm getting off the fucking island," Elliot said, laughing. "Do I win?"

"Ah! See, it's a trick question," Olivia said, holding up her finger. "You're stuck on the island, meaning you were already in a boat getting there, and the boat sank with everything you owned in it. The correct answer is, 'hope, sunburn, and a coconut."

Elliot laughed and shook his head. "Ah, now I get it. You like to make your dates feel stupid and inferior as soon as you meet them, so they know that that's how they're gonna feel for as long as they're with you."

Olivia laughed as she elbowed him in the stomach. "It's an ice-breaker, El. I'm not really good at dating. I've always said the wrong thing or found something about him repulsive and made up an excuse to leave. I panic on dates," she explained.

"You're not panicking now," Elliot said, drinking his beer.

"This isn't a date," Olivia replied, swigging her drink. "What do you usually do on a first date?"

Elliot cleared his throat. "Liv, the last first date I had was with Kathy, junior year in high school. We went to a football game. I, uh, I don't really know what kind of 'dater' I am now."

"Oh, right," Olivia said, pressing her lips together. "Sorry." She looked at him, her eyes wandering over his body, stopping at the obvious bulge in his pants. She smirked, chuckled, then cleared her throat as she raised her eyes to his and asked, "Is that a new tie?"

"Uh, yeah. Like it?" Elliot asked with a laugh, flipping it up to hit her in the nose.

Olivia laughed, swatting at his tie, and nodded. "It's a good color on you. Brings out your eyes. Not that they need to be brought out because they're about as blue as they can fucking get, and the way they sparkle...I need another drink," she spat quickly.

Elliot smirked. Did she have feelings for him? Was there a chance that she would be agreeable to what he was about to set into motion here, tonight? "Thank you, Liv. Though, my eyes don't sparkle anywhere near as brightly as yours. When you smile, they light up and the little corners of them crinkle and it's the cutest damn thing," he said, drinking his beer.

Olivia turned her head, slowly, and looked at him. "Thanks, I think. You pay attention to the corners of my eyes?"

"I pay attention to everything about you, Liv," he said. "I just didn't realize I'd been doing it until Wednesday. I've been memorizing you for the last four years."

"Oh," Olivia said, shocked. She cleared her throat, blinking, trying not to read too much into that confession, and laughed as she said, "Well, uh, good because you'll be tested on the subject later. Make sure you have a sharpened number-two pencil and if you fall asleep during the exam, you automatically fail."

"I don't fall asleep when I'm interested in the subject," Elliot said, his voice deep, husky.

"We won't have a problem then," Olivia said, her eyes narrowing. "Think you'll pass?" she purred, raising an eyebrow.

"With flying colors," Elliot said as he leaned closer. "Is it short answer, multiple choice, or, uh, a hands-on, practical exam?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Olivia slapped him in the shoulder and laughed, fully aware she was flirting. But they'd always flirted with each other. It didn't mean anything. Did it? She was barely an inch away from his face, she could smell him and he was intoxicating. She needed to stop this, now, or she'd kiss him. She backed up a bit as she said, "Neither one of us has had enough to drink to do anything 'hands-on,' Stabler."

"I'll get the next round, then," Elliot said, quickly, as he winked at her. "But, uh, to be honest, I wouldn't need to be drunk, Liv."

Olivia swallowed hard and looked back down into her drink. "Neither would I," she said, softly. Then she shook her head, snapping out of her fantasy and said, "But you have never seen my infamous barstool-lampshade dance. So, keep the liquor coming!"

Elliot laughed, loudly, and shook his head at her in disbelief. "I don't understand. Why are you single, Liv? You're, like, the perfect woman. _My_ perfect..."

"I am single, El, because eventually people realize that I'm already married. To my job. To my _partner_," Olivia said, her eyes dropping. "That's not gonna change anytime soon, and there are not many men who can deal with that without getting jealous, giving up, or just walking away after jumping to the wrong conclusion."

"That you're sleeping with me," Elliot said, smirking, sipping his beer.

Olivia chuckled and shook her head. "Yeah, that's bad enough, but I've also been accused of being in love with you." She saw the look on his face and she started stuttering, "Which is, wow, I have no idea how they, I mean, yeah, no." She quickly sipped her drink.

"So then you're not in love with me?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow, tilting his head toward her. "That's gonna be a problem," he said, chuckling.

Olivia let out a wide-eyed scoff and threw back the rest of her drink. Avoiding the question, she said, "Thank you for coming here, El. You knew I'd be upset that my date never showed up and..."

"No," Elliot interrupted. He reached over and took her hand, watching her eyes fill with an indescribable emotion. "He did."

Olivia blinked, looking at his hand in hers, and she met his eyes. "I don't under..."

Elliot cut her off. "Me. It was me, Liv. I set you up with myself. I wanted to see if we had real, honest chemistry and if we did I..."

"Would just forget about it, because you're married, you son of a bitch," Olivia spat, scoffing, ripping her hand away from his.

"No! No, Liv, hear me out," he cried, pulling her back toward him. "I had no intention of ever just forgetting about this. People have been telling you, for years, that you're in love with me..."

Olivia interrupted him again. "So you're trying to take advantage of that, to do what? Get in my pants? What the hell kind of friend..."

"No! Damn it, Liv, listen to me!" Elliot snapped, harshly whispering to her. "Kathy's been saying the same thing to me about you. Liv, what if they're right? What if they're all right? I know Kathy is."

"What?" Olivia asked, nervously.

Elliot looked her in the eyes. "Kathy's right, Liv. I'm falling in...I have fallen in love with you. I did this because I wanted to see if...the reason I came here tonight was to find out if..."

"If I'm in love with you?" Olivia asked, breathlessly, trying to process what he had just told her. "You're in love with me, El?"

Elliot nodded. "Yes. Please, Liv, don't be mad at me, I just..."

"I'm not mad at you. I'm...hurt," Olivia said, tears in her eyes.

Elliot panicked. "Hurt? Liv, no, no, I never meant to hurt..."

"I know you didn't, but you did. This has been the best date I've ever been on and, again, it can't lead to a fucking second date!"

"Yes, Liv, it can," Elliot barked, pleadingly.

Olivia scoffed. "No, it can't, and the answer's yes, okay? I am. I am in love with you," Olivia admitted, finishing off her last drink.

Elliot smiled at her, relief filling him up. "So, why does that hurt? Liv, that's fantas..."

"El," Olivia spat, cutting into his sentence, "It hurts, because we both know it's never gonna happen. And screw you for even suggesting that we could be together, because now..."

"It wasn't a suggestion," Elliot said, stone-faced. "It has been, up until now, but tonight it's not."

"So what is it then?" Olivia asked, rising out of her seat. She threw a fifty-dollar bill on the bar and folded her arms.

Elliot picked the cash up and handed it back to her. "First off, this is a date, Liv. I'm paying. And," he paused as he, too, got out of his seat. He cupped her face gently, and, as they both shook like leaves, he moved closer and let his lips brush ever-so-lightly over hers. "It's a promise, baby," he whispered, his breath and touch sending sparks through both of them. "It's a promise."

Olivia's eyes fluttered closed, her breath and pulse were fast, and she rested her hands over his. "Oh, God, Elliot," she whispered, praying he would really kiss her, but she felt the cold metal of his ring under her fingers and she pulled away. "This...can't happen," she said, shaking her head. "We'd both lose everything. Your family, our jobs, everything and..."

"Liv," Elliot said, his eyes searing into hers, "You _are _everything. Just, think about it, please? Because my mind's made up, Liv. I'm not giving up on this. On you."

Olivia nodded, squeezing his hand. "I have to go. And think," she said. She kissed him on the cheek and ran, storming out of the bar, leaving Elliot scared, confused, and alone. He took a deep breath, let it out, then walked out, too, wondering what his next move would be. He smirked, as he headed out into the night. He believed in the power of suggestion, and tomorrow at work, the day would be filled with subliminal messages that would convince Olivia it was okay to be with him.

**A/N: What is he gonna do? I would enjoy a date like that with Elliot, wouldn't you? **


	3. Dropping the Hints

**A/N: Even Detectives need to be handed some pretty big clues, sometimes. (And they're NOT having an affair! That will become clear in the next chapter! ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

Elliot heard her voice as she walked into the squadroom and he smiled as his heart jumped a bit. Until he heard what she was saying into her phone.

"I get off of work, technically, eleven o'clock. But the phone could ring at any moment and…yes," Olivia said, a smile in her voice. "Okay. If anything changes I'll call…right. Bye, Nick." She hung up the phone and looked at Elliot, who was staring at her, heartbroken. "What, El?"

Elliot blinked and asked, "You have a date?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, looking away and dropping her phone into her pocket. "And you have a marriage. We went over this." She ran a hand through her hair and sat in her desk, but something sticking out of her drawer caught her eye.

Elliot smirked as she reached for it, grabbed the corner, and slid it out of the drawer. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, my God," Olivia laughed. She opened the handmade card with her hand over her heart and shook her head. "I thought this was buried somewhere in my locker. El, it's the get well card your kids made for me when I got shot last year." She handed him the card with a soft smile.

"Well, you took the bullet for me, Liv," Elliot said. "And you're their favorite person, next to me, of course. They love you."

Olivia smiled, taking the card back. "I love them. You've got a great family."

"I have great kids," Elliot clarified. He was starting to see that his wife wasn't so great anymore. Not compared to someone else.

Olivia cleared her throat and put the card back in her drawer. She ignored the suggestive comment he'd just made and looked around the bullpen. "Empty in here, huh?"

"Munch and Fin are on a call. Have been all night. Cragen's in his office doing some damage control with One-P-P," Elliot said, shrugging. "So, for the moment, we're alone."

Olivia's eyebrows went up and down just once and she nodded, getting out of her seat to make herself a cup of coffee, but as she turned, she noticed a green and white cup already on her desk, behind her phone. A yellow post-it note attached to it said, "Just how you like it. –El."

"Thanks," she said with a smile, taking a sip. It was exactly how she liked it, and Elliot was the only person besides her who knew how to make it that way. She thought, briefly, that it was a sign that there was hope for them, but she pushed that thought out of her mind.

"Anytime," Elliot replied, returning her smile. He wondered, briefly, if he was getting to her, yet. "So, who's Nick?"

"El," Olivia began. "Don't do this…"

Elliot cut her off. "We both know that this date is gonna suck, and we both know why."

"Could you leave your ego at the door for one damn day? This has nothing to do with you," Olivia spat in a harsh whisper. She rose off of her chair and walked over to the filing cabinet, pulling the top drawer open, and she gasped. Then she chuckled. "You son of a bitch," she said over her shoulder.

Elliot chuckled. "Do I know you, or what?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

Olivia pulled out the first file, a bright red one with her name on it, and read the note on it to herself as she walked over to her desk.

"Liv, I know what I just said made you annoyed enough to get up and pretend to look for a file that didn't exist. This one does, though. Read it. Give me a chance," the handwritten paper declared. Olivia looked at Elliot with a raised eyebrow and said, "You knew I'd go right to the filing cabinet? What is this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elliot commented, smirking as he sipped his coffee, coincidentally fixed the same way as he had fixed Olivia's.

Olivia flipped open the file with a chuckle and a sigh. The DD5 inside was entitled, "Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson: Why They Should Go Out on a Second Date." She gasped, then she read the first page. It was typed up in the form of an evidence log and listed things like, "He knows your favorite candy: Sour Patch Kids; He knows the differences between your pissed off face, your tired face, and your avoidant face, and you look beautiful when you make each one; He's terrified of losing you and the fear is crippling; He knows the only things in the world that scare you are spiders and anything happening to him. Well, and relationships, but he'll change that; He knows what he's risking, and he's willing to risk it. That should be enough; He woke up two hours early to plant this file in the filing cabinet, make you special coffee and find that card, so he deserves it; His kids love you; He's in love with you, Olivia." There were fifty more reasons, but she couldn't read anymore. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she couldn't see.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Elliot said, handing her a tissue. He was kneeling beside her, resting his hands on her knees. "I just wanted to show you that I'm serious. And it wouldn't matter to my kids if you and I..."

"I know what you were trying to do," Olivia interrupted, wiping her eyes. "Your kids aren't the problem, El. I know they love me, and I love them, that's why I can't do this.

Elliot leaned closer to her. "Liv, you gotta believe that…"

He was interrupted when Fin and Munch stormed into the squadroom. Elliot shot to his feet, backing up, and Olivia instantly appeared serious and calm. "What's up, guys?" Elliot asked.

"Scrawny-ass over here lost the guy!" Fin yelled.

Munch huffed and folded his arms. "He hopped on the back of a bus! You wanted me to chase a fucking bus?"

"Liv has done it," Elliot said, shrugging.

Olivia shrugged back. "So have you," she said to Elliot.

"We can't all be as perfectly paired as you two!" Munch barked. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm older than both of you. Combined!"

"Benson! Stabler!" Cragen yelled, throwing his office door open. "Go show these two nimrods how real partners work! He was spotted on Fifty-Ninth Street!"

Without even thinking, putting their personal issues aside for a moment, they looked at each other and ran, in step, out of the squadroom. In the elevator, Elliot smirked. He turned to Olivia and said, "That's three more people who think we're the perfect couple."

Olivia looked up at him, her eyes now dry and serious. "I'm not gonna destroy your family, Elliot."

"You won't," Elliot said. "Liv, I know what I'm doing. What we're doing." He took her hand in his and stared at her. "Look at me, Liv. Look at me and tell me you don't love me, that you don't want this as much as I do, and I'll drop it."

Olivia looked into his eyes, sighed, and said, "I can't tell you that. I promised you, once, that I'd never lie to you."

"So then give this a shot, Liv," Elliot pleaded. "Just to see if this could be a real thing. To see if everyone really is right and it's not just us getting carried away, Liv."

"What if they are, El? What if we go out on an actual date, treating like a date from the beginning this time, and we find out that there's something very real between us? Do you know what that would…"

"Yes," Elliot interrupted, "I do, Liv. I'm prepared to deal with it. If you are. Are you?"

The doors opened and Olivia stepped out without answering him. She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open, pushed a series of buttons, and waited. "Nick," she said when someone picked up. "I can't make it tonight. We just got a case that's gonna last all…what? No! I am not sleeping with my partner!" She snapped the phone shut and looked at Elliot. "Not yet, anyway," she said quietly, smirking.

Elliot smiled at her, licked his lips, and his walk instantly became a cocky swagger. "So, that's a yes?" he asked, pushing the station doors open.

"Yes," Olivia said, sighing. "But if the night leads to anything we're not prepared to…"

"It won't," Elliot said, stopping her in the parking lot. "I won't go there, Liv. Not yet."

Olivia looked into his eyes and smiled with a nod. She got into the sedan, taking a deep breath. It wasn't him she was worried about.

* * *

They caught the perp, brought him back to the station, and had him in tears, confessing, in under three hours. They finished their reports and earned swift congratulations from Cragen. "You two are really something," Cragen told them as they left the interrogation room.

"We know," Elliot said, arrogantly. "Thanks, though," he added with a smirk.

"Go home," Cragen said, chuckling.

Olivia and Elliot waved to the rest of the unit and headed out, this time heading for Elliot's silver car. "I've gotta stop home for a second. You mind?" he asked, looking at Olivia.

"Uh, no," she answered, nervously.

Elliot smiled at her. "This is gonna be great, Liv. You'll see." He started the car and drove off toward his house, making small talk along the way. That alone seemed to calm Olivia down. This was Elliot. This was natural. "You coming in?" he asked, smiling at her.

"I guess so," she said, getting out of the car with a fast-beating heart. She wanted to see the kids, but she didn't want to see Kathy. Not when she was about to go on a date with her husband. The nervous excitement was too much for her.

The minute they walked through the front door, four voices squealed and four pairs of legs ran, hurling four bodies into Olivia. She fell to the floor with a great, "Oof," as the four kids piled on top of her.

"Guys!" Elliot chided. "Easy!"

Maureen looked up at her father. "We're not gonna hurt her! She gets tackled by thousand pound men!"

"Besides, if we break her, we have to buy her, right?" Dickie asked. "Then we get to keep her. That'd be really cool!"

"Ya know, you're right," Elliot said, chuckling. "Go ahead and break her."

Olivia furrowed her brow and looked up at him. "Thanks, a lot!"

Elliot just winked at her, then walked into the kitchen to get what he'd come home for. He opened the fridge and pulled out a brown paper bag. He turned and jumped. "Kathy," he breathed. "Hi."

"Hi," his wife said. "Not staying, I take it."

"No," Elliot said. "Just came to pick up the sandwich I left here. We're gonna be working all night. If you need me, call me at the station. We might not pick up, though. This is a tough one." Elliot sighed softly. It was the first time he'd lied about working late for the reason she'd always accused him.

"Right," Kathy said, smirking. She didn't believe him, but then again, she had no reason not to. "Your kids are playing with theri favorite toy, i see."

"What?" Elliot asked, confused. "Oh, Liv. Yeah," he laughed. "She's, uh, their favorite person."

Kathy folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Lizzie asked me today if Olivia could move in with us, since she's here so much anyway. Elliot, why do I have to explain the wrongness of that question to my eleven-year-old daughter?"

"She's just a kid, Kathy!" Elliot said, chuckling. "They love her. Of course they want her to stay here."

Kathy grumbled, "They wouldn't if you wouldn't bring her home with you every fucking night." She sighed and shook her head. "Be careful," she said. "Take care of each other," she yelled, including Olivia in that statement.

Olivia, crawling to her feet, said, "Always." She couldn't look Kathy in the eyes, so she gave each child a kiss on the forehead and walked out the door.

"Bye, Kathy," Elliot said, mimicking Olivia's actions, kissing each kid's head. He followed Olivia out, without kissing his wife. Once he was in the driver's seat of the car, he opened the paper bag and removed the plastic, clamshell container. He sighed, pulled it open, and took the corsage out of it. "This is so cheesy," he said, rolling his eyes and glancing at Olivia. "Isn't it?"

"You…you bought that for me?" Olivia asked, surprised. "I like cheesy," she added.

Elliot nodded with a chuckle, taking her hand and slipping the elastic around her wrist. "Yeah," he said. "I thought, ya know, it was a, uh, first date type thing to do."

"First date?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow. "I thought that…"

"Technically," Elliot interrupted, "This is our first real date. I mean, yeah, we've hung out alone a lot, dinners and movies and stuff. And the bar last night was wonderful, but you weren't aware that it was a date. Now you are. So…first date."

Olivia looked down at her wrist, then looked back up at Elliot. His amazing blue eyes were sparkling and the look he had in them gave her chills. "Thank you, El," she said, the emotion in her eyes mirroring his.

"You're very welcome, Liv," Elliot said. Then, taking a chance, he leaned in, slowly, stopping just before their lips touched in case she wanted to move away. When she didn't, he smiled. She smiled back. "I'm gonna," he said, still smiling.

"I know you are," Olivia said, still smiling back.

Elliot chuckled softly and pressed his lips delicately and chastely to hers. He took her hand in hers, started the car, and drove off, heading in the direction of their first real date and an evening that would change everything.

**A/N: The next chapter, if you're still interested, is their date and their decision. Was there any truth to the suggestions made by others? If there wasn't, will there be after tonight?**


	4. Secrets Revealed

**A/N: A BIG thank you to all of the readers, reviewers and "favoriters," which is now a word. I LOVE YOU ALL! In this installment, a secret is revealed, a chance is taken, and another suggestion is proven to be much more than that. ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"This is a really nice place, El," Olivia said, absently playing with the petals of the yellow rose adorning her wrist.

Elliot smiled and reached across the table, asking for her hand. She placed her hand in his and he blinked, long and slow, in relief. "Liv, there's something you should know. Something that might make this easier for you. For both of us."

"Kathy's a lesbian?" Olivia joked, smirking.

Elliot laughed and shook his head. "No such luck, but, uh," he let go of her hand and reached into his suit pocket, pulling a thick packet out of it. "This is just as good." He slipped the packet across the table to Olivia.

Olivia lifted the papers up and unfolded them, and her eyes filled with tears. "Why…why didn't you tell me you had these?"

"I'm telling you now," Elliot told her. "This is me telling you. We signed them a long time ago, when we were having problems. She never gave them to Donnelly because we just, sort of, worked things out, but technically…"

"Does she know?" Olivia asked, sniffling. "Does she realize that you're…"

"No," Elliot said, shaking his head. "She doesn't know I have them. But I've kind of been suggesting that I'm done. She has an idea. She knows I know where they are, so when I tell her, she won't be surprised."

Olivia looked up at him and her wide, brown eyes sparkled. "This is why you've been so…"

"Yeah," Elliot interrupted. "Technically, we're not doing anything wrong. That's what I've been trying to prove to you. I'm taking these to work with me, tomorrow, and handing them to Liz myself." He picked up the signed divorce papers, slid them next to his plate, and rested his hand on top of Olivia's. "So, how's our first date going, so far?"

"Better than I could have possibly imagined," Olivia said, laughing.

Elliot ordered them a bottle of wine, then raised his glass. "To taking a really good suggestion, and running with it," he said.

Olivia chuckled and clinked his glass with hers. "So, we're on a date, huh?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Tell me something I don't know about you."

"That's impossible!" Elliot chuckled, sipping his wine. "Um, in the eighth grade I tried out for the school play. I sang 'Power of Love' by Huey Lewis, and I swear to God, Liv, I was awesome."

"You sang? In front of people?" Olivia asked, disbelieving.

"Well, this is why I don't anymore," he said, making a face at her. "I ended up getting the lead in our production of 'Bye, Bye, Birdie,' but, uh, I guess I hit puberty on opening night. My voice cracked all over the place, it was the most embarrassing moment of my life."

Olivia tried not to laugh, pressing her lips together, letting small chuckles escape. "I'm sorry, El. Wow, that must have been awful," she said with a small chuckle. "I'm really sorry. That's...not funny."

"It was fucking hysterical, Liv," Elliot said, laughing. "I gotta show you the video." He smiled and shook his head.

Olivia laughed, now knowing she was allowed. "I can't wait," she said, returning his smile.

"What about you, Liv?" Elliot asked, pulling her hand toward him. "Is there anything I don't know about you?"

Olivia sighed, took a long sip of her wine, and looked Elliot right in the eyes. "I'm the one who convinced Kathy not to send the papers in to Donnelly."

"What?" Elliot said, his brow furrowed.

"She came to the station with them," Olivia said, biting her lip. "She was looking for you, and I asked her what she needed. She had absolutely no problem telling me, in no uncertain terms, that I was getting what I wanted then she threw them at me. I took her into an empty interrogation room, handed them back to her, and told her that there was nothing going on between us." Her eyes welled up again, and this time, the tears actually fell. "I told her that, no matter what she thought, I wasn't in love with you. I lied to your wife, El. I convinced her that she was overreacting and that she shouldn't throw an entire lifetime away because of…" she paused, picked her cloth napkin up out of her lap and wiped her eyes. "I have done more crying in the last three days than the last three years combined."

Elliot pushed his chair closer to her and cupped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Olivia Benson," he said, "That is exactly why I'm in love with you." He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers, unsure and tentatively poking out his tongue. She gasped, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, making it sensual, not sexual.

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, losing herself in the moment. She pulled away from him, when it became hard to breath, and her eyes were still shut as she whispered, "Wow."

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding, his hands still caressing the sides of her face. "Did you feel…"

"Yes," Olivia interrupted. "I did," she whispered, finally opening her eyes. She looked into his deep sapphires and when she saw him smile, she smirked. "You're one hell of a kisser."

Elliot chuckled. "I think…it was only that amazing because I was kissing you, Liv. I've never felt anything like that before," he told her, taking a breath.

"Me either," Olivia admitted. "I guess this means, uh, we've really got something here."

"I guess so," Elliot said, smiling at her. "Everyone was right, Liv. Just think, if Kathy would have kept her mouth shut, I never would have gotten the balls to make a move."

Olivia chuckled. "If I would have kept my mouth shut, you would have been able to make a move a lot sooner than this," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"No, Liv," Elliot said, giving her nose a gentle nuzzle. "You were trying to protect me. You were being a good partner and an amazing friend."

Olivia looked up at him and paled slightly. "What am I now?" she asked, squinting her eyes slightly.

"You're everything," Elliot whispered to her, leaning in to kiss her again. Just as this kiss was about to get out of control, Elliot's phone rang. "Shit," he muttered. He looked at it, checking the ID, and answered it. "Stabler," he barked. "Yeah, Cap. Oh, uh, I'll go get her. It's not a problem. How old? Damn. Yeah. Ten minutes."

"What now?" Olivia asked, seeing the look in Elliot's eyes.

Elliot sighed. "We have to cut this date a little short, Liv. We got a body-dump on Forty-Third. She's ten."

Olivia winced. "Let's go," she said, rising.

Elliot left a fifty-dollar-bill on the table and took Olivia's hand, pulling her out of the restaurant. He didn't realize he'd left something else on the table, too.

* * *

It was close to four in the morning when Elliot finally got home. Kathy was waiting for him, in the living room, when he turned on the light. "Where were you?" she asked, coldly.

"Damn, Kathy!" Elliot gasped, holding a hand over his chest. "You wanna give me a fucking heart-attack? I told you, at work. We had a case. I was on Forty-Third Street for three hours, I can give you the names of eighty people who saw me, and if you want to see the crime-scene photos I'll fucking show them to you!"

Kathy was taken aback. He'd never yelled her like that before. "Okay," she said, softly, "Sorry."

"No, Kathy, I'm sorry," Elliot said. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, but you have to stop accusing me of cheating on you, since we both know, even if I was seeing someone else, I wouldn't be cheating on you."

"What are you talking…" Kathy broke off, realizing what he meant. "Are you serious? Are you talking about the papers?"

Elliot nodded and sighed. He reached into his jacket and said, "We should have done this the first time, but I…" he stopped, realizing they weren't in his pocket. "Oh, shit," he said.

"Elliot, what is going on?" Kathy asked, taking a step closer to him. She reached out for his shoulder, and hesitantly touched it. "What's wrong?"

"I had them," he said, furrowing his brow. "I gave them to her, she looked at them, she gave them back to me and I put them…oh, fuck!"

Kathy grabbed his chin and pulled his face toward her. "Damn it, Elliot. Will you tell me what's happening here? You had what? What did you have? You showed them to who?"

"The damn papers, Kathy! I had them!" Elliot yelled. "I had them and I showed them to Liv, and she gave them back to me and I left them in the fucking restaurant!"

"Restaurant? I thought you were at work!" Kathy yelled, folding her arms.

Elliot smacked himself in the head. "Damn it," he mumbled. "We went to get something to eat before we went back to work, will you stop trying to…"

"Then why'd you take the sandwich with you?" Kathy asked, accusingly.

"Jesus Christ!" Elliot yelled, loudly. "It wasn't a fucking sandwich! Okay? This is exactly why I want a divorce, Kathy. You've never trusted me, not since high school! The minute that ring went on your finger, you started accusing me of falling in love everyone who wasn't you."

Kathy, startled by his rage, said, "You're supposed to try to convince I'm wrong, Elliot. Stay home once in a while. Take me out to dinner instead of your partner."

"You're right this time," Elliot almost whispered. "Years of listening to you tell me how much she meant to me, how amzing she was, how much the kids loved her and how I must be so in love with her, well, guess what? You're right," he said, dejectedly. "Now I have to go back to DiNardi's and…"

"DiNardi's?" Kathy cried. "I've been dropping hints like crazy trying to get you to take me there!"

"Yeah, Kathy, you're really good at making suggestions," Elliot said, snidely.

Kathy glared at him. "Here's another one," she spat. "Get a damn good lawyer."

Elliot laughed, evilly. "Kathy, our kids think Olivia created the fucking universe, okay? So, whatever thoughts you have about them choosing you over me and her, you can just forget. I already talked to them," he said as he fished his car keys out of his pocket.

"You…what? How?" Kathy asked, horrified.

"I dropped a few hints, made a few suggestions of my own," he said. "Now, I have to go wake up a very cranky Italian. Don't expect me home, since by the time I get what I need, I'll have to go to work."

Kathy shook her head. "Do you really love her? Or is this just…"

"I really love her, Kathy," Elliot said, apologetically. "You knew that, though. You knew it before I did."

Kathy nodded at him and watched him leave, then a slow smirk spread across her face. She walked into her bedroom, picked up her cell phone, and sent a text message to someone. She crawled into bed with a smile on her face, thankful that Elliot knew how to take a hint.

* * *

"Okay!" Olivia yelled, padding across her floor, rubbing her eyes with her gun in her hand. "Stop knocking!" she called. "Five in the fucking morning," she mumbled. She yanked the door open and aimed, but relaxed when she saw who it was. "I almost shot you, you idiot."

Elliot rushed into the apartment panicking. "They're gone!" he yelled, pacing back and forth.

"Who? What's gone?" Olivia asked, putting her gun on the coffee table. "El, calm down and breathe. Talk to me."

"The…the…things!" Elliot spat, flailing his arms.

"Real specific, baby," Olivia said, sarcastically with a smirk.

Elliot stopped moving. He looked at her and smiled. "You just called me, 'baby.'" He said.

"Hey!" Olivia said, snapping her fingers in his face. "Back to the problem."

Elliot sighed and said, "I left the divorce papers at the…" he stopped. "Why are you laughing?" he asked, as he watched Olivia chuckling, her hand over her mouth. "This is not funny! I have to file all over again! Kathy will never…now you're walking away from me?"

Olivia walked over to her jacket, reached into the pocket, and pulled out the folded document. "Here," she said. "You could have just asked me, ya know?"

"I woke up the damn owner, Liv. He hit me," Elliot said, taking the papers out of her hand. "He cursed at me, very loudly and very…Italianly."

"Well, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that," Olivia said, still chuckling. "But I picked them up on our way out. I knew you'd forget."

Elliot pulled her into his arms, brushed her nose with his, and kissed her. "Thank you, Liv," he said, kissing her again. "You saved my life, baby," he whispered with a smirk. He kissed her again. This time, it was filled with passionate fire, rising from somewhere hidden in both of them, and seeping out from every pore.

"El," Olivia said, panting, against the kiss. "El, we should stop."

"Why, baby?" Elliot said, walking toward the bedroom, pushing her with him.

Olivia thought about it for a second, then smirked as she bit his bottom lip. As Elliot laid her gently on the bed and kissed her languidly, calming them to a more romantic and loving pace, she said, "It was just a suggestion."

**A/N: Next: What is up with Kathy? What exactly did Elliot say to his kids? And what is Donnelly going to say when she gets those papers?**


	5. Striking Deals

**A/N: Donnelly gets the papers. What has been "suggested" to the kids? Why was Kathy, uh, happy that Elliot left, and who did she text?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"What?" Olivia asked, looking up at Fin.

Fin raised an eyebrow at her. "I asked you what happened with Gullam."

"Oh," Olivia said, "Uh, ya know, Elliot yelled and threatened his life, I showed him the pictures, scowled, and smirked a lot. We got a confession."

"And where is the hot-head?" Munch asked, pouring a cup of coffee. He walked, and dropped it on Olivia's desk.

"Far away from that shit," Olivia said, nodding to the mug. Then she picked it up and took a sip. "Thanks, Munch," she said, smirking at him. They teased him relentlessly about his coffee, but it wasn't that bad. If you couldn't get to a cafe. Or a convenience store. Or a gas station.

"Anytime," Munch said, smiling at Olivia. "Seriously though, where is he?"

Olivia looked back at the empty desk in front of her. "I don't know."

* * *

"Thank you for this, Liz," Elliot said, shaking the blonde District Attorney's hand.

Liz Donnelly smiled, shaking his hand. "Stabler, I know you. My colleagues and I have worked with you for a very long time. While some of your ethics and values where work is concerned are questionable, I know that you're a good man and a good father. And, uh, from the things I've been hearing, there's a reason you need these processed so quickly. No need to thank me," she said. "The papers were signed months ago, though. Why weren't they on my desk as soon as they were completed?"

"Well, uh, kathy and I decided to try to, um, fix things," Elliot said, waving a hand in the air. "Didn't work."

"Clearly," Donnelly said with a knowing smirk. "You'll have to wait six weeks for things to be processed, but this won't be a problem. I have letters from Kathy, your kids, and your partner wrote a statement as a character witness, so I will consider all of that. You'll hear from me regarding a hearing."

"Thank you," Elliot said, "So much." He smiled at Liz then left her office, heading down the hall to knock on Casey's door. When it opened, he smirked. "Hey, Novak," he said. "Thank you."

Casey smirked back at him. "I didn't do anything," she said.

"Yeah, you did. You were talking me up, weren't you?" Elliot asked. "Donnelly actually likes me now."

"I may have dropped your name a few times in conversation, hinted around that you and Benson have an impeccable record and a very close relationship," Casey said. "I know what getting this divorce means, and I know how much the kids mean to you. And I know about you and Olivia. If I can help make it all happen, then I will."

Elliot gave her a quick hug, and smiled. "Thanks, Novak."

"I didn't do it just for you, Stabler," Casey said. "I did it for your girlfriend and your kids."

"I know," Elliot said. "That's why I'm thanking you." He winked at her and walked away.

"Damn, he really is gorgeous," Casey muttered.

Trevor Langan, sitting on Casey's couch, said, "I heard that!"

"He is gorgeous," Casey said, "But he's not the one lying on my office couch naked, is he?"

Trevor laughed and shook his head. "Is that why you subtly pushed Olivia to go after him? Because you wanted me all to yourself?"

Casey walked over to her couch, unbuttoning her top, as she said, "Damn right it is."

* * *

Elliot walked back into the squadroom just in time to see Cragen run out of his office. "Benson, Stabler," he barked. "Vic at Saint Vincent's. Asked for you, personally. Go," he said, shoving a pink slip of paper at Elliot.

Olivia got up, smirked at Elliot, and walked out of the squadroom, with him close behind. "So where were you?" she asked. "And why did your daughter call me and ask me how many rooms I have in my apartment?"

"Which daughter?" Elliot asked, pushing the call button for the elevator.

"Does it matter?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot chuckled. "No. Don't pay any attention to whichever one it was, Liv. I already found a house. I just didn't tell the kids yet."

"What?" Olivia asked, as they stepped into the elevator.

"See, I've kind of been hinting around to the kinds that things are over between Kathy and me," Elliot said. "I've been talking about you more when they're around, hoping they'd get that I'm involved with you. They took the hint, but, uh, now they think we're _all_ leaving. We are, but not to come live with you. The house is great, Liv. I can't wait till you see it."

The elevator stopped and Olivia furrowed her brow. "El, when did you have time to buy a house? You only just found the papers!"

"Um, I, uh, bought it when I _signed _the papers, Liv," Elliot said, walking out of the building. "When Kathy told me she wanted to try to work things out, I rented it out. But I called this morning and told the tenants they have four weeks to move."

"You went to see Donnelly, didn't you?" Olivia asked, her entire face widening in realization, opening the door to the sedan.

"Yep," Elliot said with a smile, getting into the driver's seat, "And in six weeks, I will no longer be married to Kathy." Once the door was closed, he pulled Olivia into a passionate kiss, slowly savoring her. "And I will be able to do that anytime and anywhere I want."

"Well," Olivia said, "Not anywhere. This whole thing still isn't, uh, exactly legal."

Elliot smirked. "As long as Cragen never finds out, Liv, we're okay."

* * *

"Sorry I didn't answer your text," the man said, opening the door. "I was asleep, like most normal people, at four in the morning."

Kathy smirked at him. "No problem. I just wanted to tell you that it was done, and now you owe me. You're damn lucky I didn't love him anymore and I had no problem pushing him into her arms. They're happy," she said. "Or, at least, they will be in six weeks. And after a few crocodile tears and woe-is-me-sobs, I'll hand him the kids and I can start my life over again in Cabo, or Rio, or some-other-o."

The man looked at her, smiling, and said, "I really don't think you did this just for the money, Kathy. Part of you wanted to see them happy."

"Of course," Kathy said, with wide-eyes. "He's the father of my kids. A wonderful father at that, and a good man. And she is, God, she's amazing. Practically perfect in every way, like Mary Fucking Poppins. They deserve this. But," she paused, "I deserve the cool mil you're handing me."

"You do," the man said. "Since banks are funny with this sort of thing, I wrote you five post-dated checks. Do not try to deposit them all at once or you'll tip off the feds and shit will go down." He handed her five sealed envelopes. "No one knows I had anything to do with this, Kathy, and I'd like to keep it that way. However, next time you talk to Olivia, just tell her we're even now."

Kathy smiled at the man as she took the envelopes and said, "Simon, for a million bucks, I'll tell your sister anything you want." She laughed as she put the envelopes in her bag and opened the door.

Simon, smirking now, said to himself, "I am holding you to that, Kathy."

Kathy turned, wide-eyed, and said, "You wouldn't!"

"I would," Simon said. "I'll throw in another five grand if you tell her and Elliot how Serena really got to the bottom of those steps."

* * *

"Do you want something to drink?" Olivia asked, walking into her kitchen as Elliot plopped onto the couch.

"Uh, yeah," Elliot said. "Beer. I know ya got it."

Olivia chuckled, pulling two bottles out of her fridge. She walked over to the couch, handing Elliot a bottle. She sat next to him and sighed. "What a day, huh?" She rested her head on his shoulder and took a sip of her beer.

"Tell me about it," Elliot said, swigging back his own beer and resting his head on top of hers. "That girl was vicious. She asked more questions than we did! How did she even get our names?"

Olivia swallowed her beer and said, "Well, she said a friend of hers gave her our names after we helped them. But, El, we give our cards to witnesses, vics, family members of victims and hundreds of other people. She could have picked it up anywhere, or asked the hospital staff who she should call. They always suggest..."

"Oh," Elliot interrupted, nodding. "Yeah, true." He leaned forward and put down his beer and then looked down at Olivia, still resting on her shoulder. "Comfortable?" he asked, humor in his voice. he took her beer out of her hand and placed it next to his.

Olivia chuckled. "Yes, I am."

Elliot wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, then pulled the throw that had been resting on the back of the couch over them. He leaned back, resting his head on the arm, pulling her up higher on his body. "You know that one of our phones is gonna ring, baby," he said, "So we might as well just wait here for it to happen." He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head, capturing her lips in a kiss. "I love you," he whispered to her, kissing her again.

"I love you, too," Olivia said, making herself even more comfortable as she wrapped around Elliot, deepening the kiss.

They were only given a moment's peace before Elliot's phone did, in fact, ring. He groaned into Olivia's mouth. "Told you," he muttered. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, flipped it open, and said, "Stabler." His eyes widened. "Yeah. No, uh, I will. Okay. Thanks, Cap." He snapped it shut, then looked at Olivia. "We have the night off, Liv. Cragen's working on something with Homicide and Fin and Munch are catching tonight."

"What straight Homicide case could Cragen possibly be concerned with?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow.

Elliot brushed her hair back, kissed her gently, and sighed. He looked into her eyes, tilting his head, and smiled sadly as he said, "Your mother's."

**A/N: I though her death was an accident! Who suggested otherwise? Coming up, if you want it, another suggestion, from one of Elliot's pals, leads to another action! And, who wants to see a drunken Munch?**


	6. Theories

**A/N: A night out with the squad, to celebrate Elliot's divorce, leads to Munch's drunken conspiracies and one powerful suggestion that really gets to Elliot. And Fin.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"Are you sure you wanna be out, tonight?" Elliot asked, holding the door open for Olivia. "At a bar, no less?"

"El," Olivia said, sighing, as she shook the rain-water out of her hair, "I'm okay. I dealt with her death a long time ago, and I actually think that knowing it might not have been an accident made me feel a little better. Homicide's working on it, and they'll tell me if they find anything that proves it wasn't."

Elliot nodded as he brushed her wet hair back. "I'm just worried about you, Liv," he whispered, inching closer to her. He gave her a soft, gentle kiss. "I always worry about you."

"I know you do," Olivia said, looking up into his blue eyes. "I'm the same way when it comes to you. That's what makes us such good partners."

"And it's what's gonna make us an amazing couple," Elliot whispered. "We're gonna be great together," he said, kissing her again. "You look so good wet," he said, seductively, capturing her lips one more time. It got rather heated, and Olivia had to stop him.

Olivia pulled away and looked around the crowded pub, hoping no one had just seen him do that. "El, we have to stop. We're gonna be around…"

"I know," Elliot interrupted, giving her one more quick kiss. "Let's find 'em, huh?" he asked, as he led her toward the back where their crew usually sat.

Munch, half drunk already, looked up and said, "Hey! It's Will and Grace!"

"Will was gay," Elliot said, offended.

"Grace was a flake," Olivia said, just as offended.

Munch laughed. "I meant that you two have a similar relationship. Not married, but you should be, but one of you has a big ol' problem. Well, the problem's gone, now, innit?"

Olivia furrowed her brow. "How much has he had to drink?" she asked Alex, who was sitting next to him.

"He's on his third glass of bourbon," Alex said. "And he and Fin were doing shots. Apparently, everyone's thrilled that you're single, Stabler."

Elliot laughed as he sat down, pushing the chair beside him out for Olivia. "None of you are more thrilled than I am," he said, smirking.

"Well, maybe one other person is," Munch said, raising his glass. "I have a theory…"

"Oh, no," Olivia groaned. "Casey, Alex, bathroom. I really don't wanna hear this."

Casey and Alex laughed, and the girls rose, leaving Munch alone at the table with Fin and Elliot. "Thanks a lot!" Elliot yelled to the girls. Olivia just threw a hand up in the air and waved.

"Well, actually, Stabler," Munch said, sliding a shot glass toward Elliot, "I'd rather keep this one between us guys. So, I have this theory, that since you are now single, you can finally go after a certain brunette detective."

Elliot choked on his shot. "I'm sorry," he said. "You think me and Liv…"

"Well," Munch interrupted, "I also have this theory that she's not gonna wait for you forever. She's young, hot, strong, hot, brilliant, hot, she's got a gun, and she's hot. Look, over there," he said, pointing to the line for the women's room. "Look at the guys over there, and look where their looking. They are all looking at her, Stabler. All she is doing is standing on line to fix her damn hair, and she's driving them all crazy."

Elliot cleared his throat, trying to appear as un-jealous as possible, and said, "Yeah. So we've established that anyone with a pulse is gonna think Liv's hot. What's your point?"

Munch chuckled. "All those guys, Elliot, and she can't get a date? She has been turning them down for years, you nincompoop." He took a swig of his drink and said, "She's turned down doctors, lawyers, a florist, three politicians…"

"How do you know all of this?" Elliot asked, stunned to find out that Olivia had purposely been keeping her love-life non-existent.

"Alex," Munch said. "She can't keep secrets very well."

Elliot chuckled. That's why Olivia hadn't told her. "Well, Munch, I still don't see…"

"Stabler," Munch interrupted again, "You probably only have tonight to show her that she can have you before you lose your nerve. She's been waiting for this day for years, and she's gonna expect you to move in, tonight. If you don't make a serious move, she'll call one of those doctors or lawyers, or that florist. She could be out of your hands tomorrow, Elliot, if Mr. Right walks around the corner before you've staked your claim."

Elliot looked at his drunken friend and narrowed his eyes. For the last six weeks, he and Olivia had tried to remain neutral in public. Hand-holding, an occasional kiss, and when they were alone they made out like teenagers. At work, they had to appear as if nothing had changed, but Munch, Elliot had been thinking, was right. If he didn't move, really move, he could lose her. "Munch," Elliot said, shrugging, "We're partners, man. How…"

"I have a theory," Munch said, cutting Elliot off again. "You two are destined to be together, like, uh, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe."

Fin raised an eyebrow. "Munch, those two never…"

"Shut up, it's_ my _theory," Munch spat. "It's a conspiracy, Stabler. The universe has aligned in such a way that it is forcing you two to face this. Planetary alignment affects certain people, soulmates, they're called. Soul, from the Latin 'soulare' meaning 'solar.' Or something, whatever. This is a galactic phenomenon, Stabler and there's a good chance Cragen won't care. There's also a good chance that I am drunk and I need another drink."

Fin laughed and shook his head. "Man, you are one weird guy," he said. "He's got a point though, Stabler. Haven't you ever wondered what she's like in bed? At all?" he asked. "I have. You gotta wonder if she'll be as tough and hard as she is at work, if she likes it rough or if she'll be soft and…"

"Fin," Elliot said, growing aggravated, "Don't talk about Liv like that, man." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to imagine what she was like in bed.

"You have been warned," Munch said, pointing at Fin. "I still need another drink."

Elliot laughed as he looked up and saw the girls reclaiming their seats. He had to suppress the urge to kiss Olivia, and instead opted to grab her leg, beneath the table.

Olivia shot him a look, with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, then turned her attention back to the middle of the table. "So was it dead presidents or aliens?" she asked, taking two beers from the server and handing one to Elliot.

"Neither," Elliot said. "It was something about the alignment of the universe having an effect on people."

"So you were paying attention," Munch said, proudly.

"Kind of," Elliot said with a glare. "Drop it," he added.

Fin looked up and said, "Baby-Girl, you look different. Something about you, I dunno, but I like it."

Casey chuckled and said, "I think the dreamboat at the bar likes it, too. He has not stopped staring at you, Benson." She shot a knowing look at Elliot and jerked her head, laughing when Elliot turned to see the guy who had been eyeing Olivia.

"You haven't been on a date in a while," Alex chirped. "Since that, what was his name? Digg?"

"Doug," Olivia said. "His name was Doug."

Casey, twirling the umbrella from her drink said, "And what was wrong with Doug?"

"He, uh, he thought I was sleeping with Elliot," Olivia said, chugging her beer.

"Now where could he have gotten a crazy idea like that?" Casey asked, a silly look on her face. "He doesn't work for the D. A anymore, either. Donnelly fired him. He's at Henshall and Langan now, and Trevor is making his life hell. Thought you'd like to know."

Olivia's mouth dropped, picking up on Casey's suggestions, and she chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't believe you, Casey."

"Believe it, Benson," Casey said. "He had to go! He wasn't good for you. He wasn't what you needed!"

"And what do you think I need, Casey?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow,

"You know what you need," Casey replied, narrowing her eyes at Olivia.

Elliot, also realizing that Casey had told Doug that he and Olivia were sleeping together, interrupted their conversation. "How are things with you and the scum of the Earth, anyway?" He sipped his beer and said, "Langan's evil is rubbing off on you."

Munch, downing yet another shot, said, "He's part of the conspiracy! He's your antagonist, Stabler. He wants your girl, man, and you need to defend your castle!"

"What the fuck are you talkin' about, you scrawny bastard?" Fin asked, laughing.

"Langan! He totally wants Benson!" Alex whooped, laughing. "He has since that Doughrety case. The way he looks at you in the interrogation room, the way he refuses to hand subpoenas to you and he slaps them into Elliot's hands."

Olivia cleared her throat and looked at Casey, who was not amused. "Okay, uh, guys, I think it's safe to say that Langan and I will never, ever, happen."

"Well, yeah," Munch said, hiccupping. "Your galactically pulled toward someone else."

"Keep drinking, Munch," Olivia laughed. "Maybe you can drink your way passed drunk and swing back around to sober."

Munch looked at her, wide-eyed. "That's a good suggestion!" he yelled. "Hey, barkeep! Another round over here!"

Elliot laughed, as his hand traveled higher up Olivia's body, resting on her thigh, only a fingertip away from the junction between her legs. He squeezed lightly. He felt Olivia tense up, but relax immediately. He needed to tell her, now, tonight, that he had no intentions of letting her go. He was sure she knew that, but he needed to tell her. Fin's voice snapped him back to the present.

"Seriously, Baby-Girl," Fin said, sipping his beer, "You need to get out there. I have a friend who'd love to…"

"Fin," Olivia said, stopping him, "I really don't need you to fix me up with your friends. I'm, uh, seeing someone."

Munch slammed down his drink and looked at Elliot. "See! You were too fucking slow, man! Now she's gonna have doctor-lawyer-florist babies!"

"What?" Olivia said, laughing hard. "You're cut off!" she yelped, grabbing his drink.

"Hey," Munch whined. "Gimme!" he said, grabbing it back.

The table laughed, just as the man from the bar walked over. He stood in front of Olivia and said, "Hi, uh, I just wanted to tell you that you are, um, incredibly beautiful."

The table was silent, and all looking at Olivia. Elliot squeezed her thigh again, gritting his teeth. Olivia slid her hand under the table and placed her hand over his, locking their fingers.

"Uh, thank you," Olivia said, forcing a smile.

"I'm Ben," the man said, holding out his hand and flashing a gleaming smile.

Olivia shook his hand and smiled. "Hi, Ben. I'm Olivia," she said. "And I'm actually seeing someone."

"Wow," Ben said. "Shot down before I even got up, huh?" he laughed. He noticed Elliot, and the look on his face, then he saw their hands, intertwined. He looked back at Olivia and said, "Well, of course you're not available. The good ones never are." He looked at Elliot and said, "You're a lucky man."

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "I am."

They watched Ben smile, nod, and walk away. Then they turned back to the table of friends, seeing the looks they were getting. "What?" Olivia said with a smirk toward Casey, swigging back her beer.

"You two?" Alex asked, wagging a finger back and forth between them.

"No, man," Elliot said, clearing his throat. "I just wasn't gonna correct him."

Casey, smirking, mumbled, "Because he was right," and chugged back her drink. She didn't know that Fin had heard her, or that he was planning to tell someone else all about it. He was pushing them together for a reason, and he smirked to himself knowing that Casey had just suggested that he was one step closer to getting what he wanted.

**A/N: Who does Fin tell, and why? What does Elliot say to Olivia when they get home? Is Munch going to remember anything in the morning? Find out, by reviewing and letting me know you wanna hear it!**


	7. Actions

**A/N: After their night out at the bar, things go from "suggestion" to "action!" What is Fin's motive for getting Elliot and Olivia together, and who does he run blabbing to? And will Munch's hangover prompt him to make good coffee? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"Hang on," Eliot mumbled against Olivia's lips, trying, unsuccessfully, to open the door. He was turning the key behind him, twisting the knob, not willing to stop kissing her. "Almost," he muttered. He finally got it, and they fell back into the open door and into Olivia's apartment. Elliot spun them around and kicked the door closed, then, still kissing her, he kicked off his shoes and started unbuttoning her shirt.

"God, El," Olivia whispered, pulling his tee-shirt out of his pants. She allowed him to break their kiss long enough to get his shirt off, then raked her hands down his bare chest and over his back. He assaulted her lips again. "El, baby," she panted as his lips traveled from her mouth to her neck, "We have to...shit, El...stop."

"Huh?" Elliot said, immediately stopping and looking up at her. "What did I do?"

"Nothing, El," Olivia said, catching her breath. "I just don't want this to be..."

Elliot kissed her, shutting her up, and said, "I only had two beers, Liv. Trust me, this is one-hundred-percent sober Stabler."

Relieved, she moved in for another kiss, her hands moved to the buckle on his belt, ripping the leather out of the loops of his jeans. "Do you know," she breathed between kisses, "How long I've waited for this? How long I've wanted this?"

Eliot chuckled. "As long as I have," Elliot said, tugging her jeans over her hips. "Bedroom, baby," he whispered. "Now."

Olivia pulled him into the bedroom, smiling seductively at him. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, biting at his bottom lip.

Elliot pushed her away from him for a moment, eyeing her up and down, taking in the sight of her in nothing but her bra and a pair of red silk and lace panties. "You are so beautiful," he said, breathing hard. "Liv, you're mine, right?" he asked, his voice taking on a pleading tone.

"El," Olivia said, looking deeply into his eyes, "Yes, baby. I'm yours. Why are you..."

"No, Liv," Elliot interrupted. "Just mine. Really, completely, mine," he said, pulling her closer as he moved to the bed. "I have to know. I have to hear you say it. No one else, ever, Liv."

"Ever?" Olivia asked, smirking, as she looked down at him. Elliot pulled her on top of him and slid the straps of her bra down her shoulders. "Are you saying you're really ready for forever, right now?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I am, yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "I'm promising you, right now, that I'm yours forever, Liv. You _need_ to be mine. I can't stand to hear other guys talk about you, look at you..."

Olivia bent her head and kissed him, slowly, deeply. "I'm yours, El. I haven't looked at another man in months, not since you walked into that bar and told me how you felt. Before that it was only to get you off of my mind. I can't promise you forever, but I can promise that I'm yours, Stabler. Until one of us fucks it up, I'm yours."

"Liv, you and I are beyond fucking this up," Elliot whispered, reaching around her back to unhook her bra. "That'll never happen. We're too fucking perfect for each other. This is forever, whether you know it now or not."

"Is that another one of your suggestions?" Olivia asked, skimming her fingers into his boxer-briefs.

Elliot moaned as Olivia touched him, lightly stroking. He threw her bra to the floor, and as he slowly pushed down her panties, he said, "No, baby. That is a powerful observation. It's the truth." He grabbed her tightly and flipped her over, so he was on top of her. He tossed her panties over his head and took in the sight of her completely naked body. He gasped. "Gorgeous," he whsipered. "I'm promising you, we won't screw this up."

"Make love to me, Elliot," Olivia said, reaching up to caress his cheek, "And prove it."

"Gladly," he whispered to her.

Olivia watched him slide down her neck and move lower. "What are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Elliot said, bending his head to kiss her, "The best way to test a theory is to put into practice, right?" He grinned, thinking about Munch's planets being aligned, as he kissed his way down her body. "You are so damn sexy, baby," he mumbled as he traveled. He reached his destination and they both moaned, simultaneously. "And you taste so fucking incredible," he whispered, continuing his licking at her core.

"God, El," Olivia moaned. "You're really...oh, my God!"

"Liv," Elliot said, with her skin between his teeth, "I'd like you to know, just so we're clear, that I never did this to Kathy." He let her go for a moment and looked up into her wide, brown eyes. "I have, however, occasionally wondered what it would be like to do this to you. I'm living out a fantasy here." He winked at her and watched her eyes roll back into her head. He chuckled, and resumed his sucking and licking. He smirked when she moaned and writhed beneath him, bucking her hips up meeting his mouth. She ran her hands through his hair and moaned his name, sultrily. He knew it was gonna be a long night, and he was thrilled about it.

* * *

"Come in," Cragen said, listening to the knock on his door.

"Hey, Cap," Fin said, smirking.

"You're here early, Fin," Cragen said, furrowing his brow. "What's the problem?"

Fin chuckled. "No problem, Cap. I just, uh, wanted to get here before Benson and Stabler. I think you might need to keep a close eye on 'em for a little while. Stabler's divorced now, and we both know..."

"Fin," Cragen interrupted, "Are you suggesting that Olivia and Elliot would jeopardize their jobs, their partnership, by fraternizing and getting personal? Without consulting me about it, besides?"

Fin shook his head and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not _suggesting_ anything. Just keep an eye on 'em, and if you see 'em actin' funny, I'd be more than willing to switch partners. I'll take Benson," he said, folding his arms.

"Fin," Cragen said, rising and folding his arms, mimicking Fin, "I assure you, if anything is happening with those two, it won't affect their work. They'd never let it. I see no need to split them up, and if I find out that anything _is_ going on, I'll deal with it, and them, in my own way." He walked over to the door, opened it, and looked at Fin. "Thank you for the suggestion, and the offer, though."

Fin's jaw dropped. He shook his head as he left the office, saying a quick, "You're welcome." As he walked over to his desk, Olivia and Elliot walked in, laughing, carrying their coffees. They seemed to be more in sync with each other today. As if they were guitars that had been tuned to the same key, made to match. "What's up with you two?" he asked.

"Uh, pardon?" Elliot retorted, cocking an eyebrow.

"You look like matching bookends. You're even wearing the same damn thing," Fin said, pointing.

Olivia looked down at her outfit, then over at Elliot. "Fin, a black suit, white shirt. Pretty standard detective attire. We've worn the same thing a thousand times."

"No," Fin said. "Stabler usually wears some bright-ass tie, or obnoxiously colored shirt, and you usually wear those v-neck sweaters or an off-the-charts-_hot_ suit in an intriguing color."

"Wow," Elliot said, scoffing. "You have been paying way too much attention to us, buddy." He chuckled, then looked at Olivia. "He's right though, Liv. That red suit you have? The one with the black collar and cuffs? That is 'off-the-charts-hot'. Wear that tomorrow."

Olivia laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "I can't, El," she said. "Someone ripped the buttons off of the jacket the last time I wore it."

Elliot choked a little on his coffee. "What?" he spat.

"Dickie," Olivia said, laughing again. "He was climbing on me and he pulled them off. It was an accident, El. I'll fix the buttons and I'll wear it, if it's really that important to you."

Elliot let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and he chuckled. "Do that," he said, nodding.

"I like the purple one," Fin said, raising an eyebrow. "Purple looks good on you, Baby-Girl."

Olivia smiled at him. "Thanks, Fin," she said, plopping into her seat. "Munch here yet?" she asked, sipping her coffee.

"After last night, Liv, I don't think we should expect him before noon," Elliot laughed, sitting in his own seat.

"I'm here," Munch said, rubbing his head as he walked in. "I'm in a ton of pain, but I'm here. Can we turn off some of these lights?"

"Oh, man, Munch," Fin said, looking at his partner. "You look like hell!"

"Feel worse," Munch mumbled, slumping in his chair. "Hey, Stabler, I am so sorry about that, uh, theory I was talking about. It was out of line and I shouldn't have..."

"It's cool," Elliot interrupted. "You were right. I listened to the planets last night."

Munch looked quizzically at Elliot. "You didn't," he said, stunned.

"I did," Elliot said, nodding. "Or I decided that I'm probably going to, I mean. I just have to find a way to...do it."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Olivia asked, chuckling.

"Nothin'," Fin said, rolling his eyes. "Munch, man, get your scrawny ass up and make the coffee, huh?"

Munch nodded, getting back up, and walked over to the coffee pot. He poured a bit too much of the grounds into the filter, but he didn't really care. Strong was good in this case.

Cragen came out of his office, then, and barked, "Benson! Stabler! You got a vic at Mercy. When you get back, Stabler, Langan called for you. He wants to talk to you about your custody hearing, he says that his firm is representing Kathy, and he needs to speak with you. Benson, Doug Randall called for you."

"Oh, God," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "This is a great day already." She got up and took the three pink slips out of Cragen's hand, but before she could get away, Cragen grabbed her wrist.

"Benson," Cragen whispered, "I strongly suggest you tell this Randall guy about your, uh, current relationship status. I don't want to have to hurt him if he starts bothering you," he said, smirking.

Olivia nodded. "I plan on it, Cap. Thanks for...everything."

"Hey," Cragen said, letting Olivia's wrist go, "As long as you are nothing but professional while..."

"I know," Olivia nodded, "We both know."

Cragen smiled, then turned back toward his office.

Fin watched Olivia and Elliot leave, and he narrowed his eyes. He'd never get what he wanted now. Cragen knew about them, and would be protecting them. There was only one other person who could help him now, and he really didn't want to go talk to _him_. He could, however, send an anonymous e-mail, full of suggestions, with the help of someone _else_, who was hurting just as much as he was.

**A/N: Next: Fin talks to someone else, but is surprised at what they tell him! Was Olivia's mother murdered? And what does Elliot do when he finds out where the NYPD got the tip? And Elliot and the kids move into his new house, with Olivia's help. Do you suggest I continue? **


	8. Movements

**A/N: Fin talks to someone who he hopes will help him. When he doesn't get what he wants, he takes it to the source of his problem. Someone, then, suggests he get a life. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"Hold on," a voice called, yelling at the obnoxious knocking at her door. "Oh! Hello, Fin. You know, Elliot doesn't live..."

"I'm here to see you," Fin said, stepping into the house. "Kathy, uh, you know why Elliot left, right?"

Kathy smirked. "Yes, I do. I can't say I blame him. Olivia's a wonderful person, and he loves her very much. I knew what was happening before he did."

"Right, so, I need your help. I'm gonna send a tip to Tucker. Anything you want me to tell him? Really get them in the shit?" Fin asked, sitting on the couch, looking at her eagerly.

Kathy raised an eyebrow at him. "Fin, you didn't hear me. I'm happy for them. I'm not gonna try to break them up, when I'm the one who pushed them together."

"Hold up," Fin said, furrowing his brow. "What? He left you...for another woman...for _the_ other woman...and you don't give a shit?"

"Not really, Fin," Kathy chuckled. "It was over between us the moment he met Olivia. It was time for him to be with her, and he just needed a push in the right direction. We gave up out lives for each other over a silly mistake, Fin. This is our chance to be happy, and get them back. This is best for all of us. Except you, it seems. Why aren't you happy for your two best buds?"

Fin sat, stunned, and shook his head in disbelief. "Wow, Kathy. I wasn't expecting this. Uh, I have my reasons. I guess I'm on my own then. I'll see ya." He got off the couch, walked to the door, and left.

Kathy narrowed her eyes, whipping out her cell phone. She dialed a familiar number and waited. "Elliot? You have a problem."

* * *

"Do not, I repeat, do not drop that box! Those are very fragile, delicate..."

"Baseball cards, Dickie!" Lizzie yelled. "It's a box of baseball cards!"

Dickie huffed. "Collectible, priceless, mint condition, baseball cards! How would you feel if I dropped your stupid box of Harry Potter dolls?"

"I do not have the dolls, Dickwad!" Lizzie spat back. "Mom wouldn't by them for me!"

Olivia laughed walking into the house carrying three boxes. "You didn't give them to her yet, then?"

"Nope," Elliot said, laughing as he unpacking the box of dishes and putting them into his new cabinet. "We should do it together, when we get everything unpacked. Thanks for helping with the move, baby."

"Why wouldn't I?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow, unpacking the box of pots and pans.

Elliot shrugged. "You do have a life, ya know. You don't have to waste your time..."

"You are my life, you knucklehead," Olivia chuckled. She stilled, staring into the cabinet, holding onto a pot as she realized what she just said.

Elliot looked over at her, stunned, letting her words sink in. "The words that come out of your mouth, Benson, always leave me absolutely breathless," he said, forgetting the China and moving to pull her into his arms. "You're mine," he whispered to her. "You've been my life for years, Liv."

"Excuse me," Kathleen's voice intruded, breaking them out of their embrace. "Can you stop acting like teenagers long enough to take this box?" she asked, struggling to carry the large box with the help of Maureen.

Elliot ran over and lifted it with an, "Oof." He faltered a bit as he gripped the box. "What the hell is in here?" he asked, dropping it in the corner of the room

"The television," the two girls said together. Kathleen suddenly looked at Maureen and said, "Gee, Mo, wouldn't it be cool if someone else came to _live_ with us?"

Maureen chuckled. "Oh, totally! If someone came to _live_ with us, it would be awesome, Katie. Who do we know that we could all _live_ with? That we would love to _live_ with?"

"Guys," Olivia said, stifling her laughter at their suggestion, hearing them emphasize the word "live," every time, "I'm not moving in with you."

The girls groaned. "Why not?" Kathleen whined.

"Because," Olivia said, glancing at Elliot, "Your father and I aren't in that place yet, he hasn't asked me, and the lease on my apartment isn't up for another year."

Elliot opened his mouth to say something, but scuffling feet interrupted him.

"Dad," Dickie yelled, running after Lizzie, "Make her give it back!"

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "I can't do this by myself," he said, absently, glancing at Olivia. "Elizabeth, whatever it is, give it back to your brother!"

Lizzie sighed, turned, and handed Dickie his baseball card. "Who names their son 'Babe,' anyway? It was the name of a pig!"

"It was a nickname!" Dickie and Elliot yelled, simultaneously.

Olivia chuckled, rolling her eyes, as she walked out to grab more boxes. She sighed, turning to look at the house, and hoped, someday, she would be a real part of the family, a real member of that household. She was so lost in that thought, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her, and jumped when she felt the arms around her waist.

"It's just me," Elliot said, laughing. He pulled her tighter and kissed her neck. "I can not believe Cragen was okay with this."

"I can not believe you told him!" Olivia countered. "You were all, 'he can never find out, blah, blah, blah," she mocked. "Then Friday..."

Elliot chuckled, kissing a trail to the other side of her neck. "Well, Liv, I thought about it, and figured if we're serious, which we are, we needed to tell him. We needed to tell Tucker, too. We had to do this by the book, because if we snuck around and someone found out, we'd be screwed. If we were upfront about it from the start, ya know, it looks good." He turned her around and looked her in the eyes. "Besides, Tucker and Cragen both know that we can separate work from, well, us." He brushed her hair back and sighed. "They're not stupid, baby. They saw this coming, and they know we've been fighting this for years. Hell, IAB had a pool going. Tucker won four hundred bucks!"

"He always did make those snarky comments about you taking me home," Olivia said, chuckling.

"See? Even that prick was suggesting we get together," Elliot laughed.

"I really wish he would have _not_ walked in on us kissing, though," Olivia said, shaking her head. "The whooping yell and victory lap around the squadroom were a little embarrassing."

Elliot chuckled as he kissed her. "Hey, he was happy for us. Be thankful he didn't write us up," he said. He grabbed three more boxes, as Olivia grabbed two, and looked at her. "It would really be nice if _someone_ were to, not move in yet, but, uh, stay. Every once in a while. Like, say, four, five times a week?"

Olivia looked back at him and smiled. She loved it when he got nervous and asked her things in the form of mere suggestions.

* * *

Fin grumbled as he read the reply e-mail from his computer at work the next day. "Okay, now I'm pissed," he mumbled. He got out of his seat and walked over to Elliot's desk, glaring down at him. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"You just did, man," Elliot said, grinning up at Fin.

"Clever," Fin retorted. "What's goin' on with you and Benson, and why does everyone and their mother know about it but me?"

Elliot's eyes widened. "Uh, okay, that was more than one question, Fin," he said, clearing his throat. "Why do you care? I mean, obviously you already know. And weren't you the one who was pushing me to ask her out?"

"Yeah, but that was because I..." Fin stopped, not wanting to tell Elliot he was trying to get Olivia away from him. "How the fuck did you convince Cragen and Tucker to look the other way?"

Elliot smirked, his classic, cocky, king-of-the-fucking-planet smirk, and said, "Easy. We're 'Benson and Stabler.' We're good at what we do, and every precinct in the city, scartch that. In the state, knows that. The Chief of D's would rather arrest his own mother than split us up, because we get shit done. We're good at what we do, and we're only good at what we do when we're with each other, or by ourselves which is strictly against policy unless its an emergency. Meaning, we're crap with anyone else. You've seen what happens when I work with someone who's not her. People die, man. And whenever she's with you or Munch, someone gets shot! It's usually her!"

"You're a cocky mother-fucker, you know that?" Fin snapped. "You can't have your cake and eat it, too, man. The world shouldn't fucking stand on its goddamned ear because you tell it to!"

"Okay," Olivia said, walking in with five coffees, smirking. "Pause this. I'm going to make popcorn," she joked. She handed a special-blend, mixed, personally prepared coffee to Elliot and a plain, black coffee to Fin. "What's going on?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

Fin sipped his coffee gratefully and looked at her. "Nothin', Baby-Girl. But can I make a suggestion?"

"Why not?" Olivia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Everyone else in my life does."

"Go out on one date with someone other than Stabler here, before you make any kind of commitment," Fin said, sipping his coffee again.

Elliot spat out his coffee, all over his desk. "I don't like that suggestion!" he yelled.

"I don't like George Bush, but I had to deal with him for eight fuckin' years," Fin quipped.

Olivia stared at Fin blankly, blinked once, and said, "How did you know..."

"I'm a detective, Baby-Girl," Fin interrupted. "But it doesn't take one to figure it out. So, uh, what do ya say?"

"Wow," Olivia scoffed. "Fin, ya know, I can't do that. I've waited for this, for him, for too long, and I'm not gonna do anything to wreck it. Especially not that. I don't want anyone else."

"He just got divorced, Baby-Girl," Fin said, putting his coffee down and gesturing to Elliot. "Maybe he wants to play the field a bit. You might be holding him..."

"She's why I got divorced," Elliot interrupted. "But you know that, don't you?"

Fin looked at Elliot and raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Kathy may be my ex-wife, but surprisingly she's not being a bitch about this. She called me, Fin. She told me you went to see her, and she told me what she told you. You know why I left and you know it was for Liv. So, whatever you're trying to do, I _suggest_ you cut it the fuck out." Elliot sipped his coffee with one hand, cleaning up the mess he'd made with a napkin in the other as he calmly said, "And you're right. I am a cocky mother-fucker, but I have every reason to be. I have my cake, right there. She's gorgeous, isn't she? If you stick around long enough, you can watch me it eat it, too. Tucker won't care. Hell, he practically gave me the fucking fork!"

"Who am I forking?" Tucker asked, walking in at the appropriate moment.

"No one on this floor," Olivia said, cocking her head to the side. "I'd have to arrest you."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Hardy har, Benson. I came up to tell you that I got an e-mail this morning, someone's not happy about you two. I told them I knew, and you weren't violating any regulations, yet, and we're keeping tabs on you. I also wanted to let you know that Sergeant McCarthy is pressing charges against Officer Dalton. You need to run the...Tutuola, why are you looking at me like that?"

"You hate them, Tucker. Everyone in this unit hates you," Fin said. "Why are you makin' nice?"

Tucker narrowed his eyes. "We only have problems when I'm jamming them up about Stabler's temper or Benson's attitude. If you'd show up to the Friday night poker game once in a while, you'd know that."

"You come to those things?" Fin asked, shocked.

"Yeah, he does," Olivia chuckled. "Last Friday," she said, glancing at Elliot, "He won four hundred bucks."

Fin smirked. "Friday night," he said, getting an idea, "I'll be here."

**A/N: What is he gonna do at the game? A new case comes up. Is Kathy really gonna be nice to them? And how much suggesting is it gonna take to get Olivia to move into the new house? PS - If you haven't yet, Read my story, "Poker Face". =)**


	9. Accusations

**A/N: Poker night at the one-six. Someone's mouth is writing checks that his ass can't cash, and betting them! **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **_**The Gambler**_** was written and performed by Kenny Rogers.**

"Wow," Tucker said, folding his hand and tossing his cards into the middle of the table, "It's like I only attract the shitty cards."

Olivia, smirking, took a sip of her drink and looked down at her own hand. "Well, Ed, you _are_ a rat," she quipped. "Rats are drawn to shit, right?"

Cragen snickered next to her, Munch and Elliot laughed, and Fin looked at her proudly.

"Funny, Benson," Tucker said, not laughing.

Elliot chuckled, looked up from his hand, and said, "I thought it was fucking hilarious."

"So did I," Munch agreed. He was leaning back in his chair with his drink. He folded right after the cards had been dealt.

"Shut up and finish the hand, huh?" Tucker spat, scrunching up his face and picking up his drink.

Elliot laughed and picked up a few chips. "Um, Okay, Fin, I raise." He threw fifty bucks worth of chips into the pile in the middle of the table and waited to see what Fin would do.

"I see your fifty," Fin said, tossing in the chips, "And I raise you fifty more." He tossed in more chips, leaving him with one, single, white chip. Twenty dollars.

"No, thank you," Olivia said, her eyes wide, as she folded. "What, El? I'm not tossing away a hundred bucks on a pair of aces," she said, responding to the disapproving look she was getting from Elliot. "You two are fucking nuts."

Fin chuckled, looked down at his cards and mumbled, "You're the one who's fuckin' a nut."

"Excuse me?" Olivia said, severely offended.

"You're up, man," Fin said to Elliot, ignoring Olivia. "Go, Stabler. Whatcha gonna do?"

Elliot shook his head, looking at his cards, his hand flipping through his stack of chips. "I'm gonna call," Elliot said, tossing a hundred bucks worth of chips into the pile. "Since you can't do that, Fin, you gotta throw in that last chip and..."

"Hold on," Fin said, pulling out his wallet. "Here," he spat, dropping a hundred dollar bill onto the pile.

"Fin," Cragen said, "We had a two hundred dollar lim..."

"Cap, it's just a game, right?" Fin said, grinning. "It's just money."

Cragen shrugged, sighing, and said, "Play on. But don't come crying to me when Elliot kicks your ass." Cragen knew Elliot was gonna win; when it came down to it, it was either him or Olivia walking away with the pot.

Elliot flipped his cards over, grinning smugly, and everyone at the table gasped as Cragen chcukled. "Told ya so," he said, patting Fin on the shoulder.

"Read 'em and weep, Fin," Elliot said, slapping down his royal flush.

"Wait, man," Fin said, stunned. "How the hell...you just cleaned me out! Completely!"

"What did you even have, Tutuola?" Tucker asked.

Fin threw his cards out and down, ignoring the stunned laughs from his colleagues.

Olivia turned to him, her drink in her hand, and said, "Why the hell did you keep betting, especially when he kept raising, if all you had was three of a kind?"

"I thought he was bluffin'," Fin said, shrugging.

"If there's one thing Elliot doesn't do, Fin, it's bluff," Munch said. "He doesn't gamble unless it's a sure thing. He knows when to hold 'em, and he knows when to fold 'em."

Cragen, unable to resist, said, chuckling, "He knows when to walk away."

"Knows when to run," Tucker said, almost singing.

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other, grinning, and burst into song, singing, "You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table."

The whole table of friends, with the exception of Fin, sang the last line of the chorus. "There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done." The five singers laughed and Olivia rested her head on Elliot's shoulder as she chuckled.

Elliot dropped a tender kiss to her forehead. It was amazing how at ease and comfortable they felt now. The tension that had been hanging in the air for years was gone, the aggression they sometimes felt toward each other had dissipated, and the weight of the world had been lifted off of their shoulders. Olivia lifted her head and nuzzled his nose, scrunching her face a bit as she gave him a bright smile. Elliot snickered, kissed the tip of her nose, and said, "My cutie."

"You two really are cute," Tucker said, "But cut it the fuck out and deal."

Olivia raised her eyebrow and sneered at him, picking up the cards to shuffled. "Okay, wild cards are threes, Jacks, and the man with the ax."

"The who with the what?" Munch asked.

"Man," Fin said, annoyed. "The King of Diamonds! He's holdin' a fuckin' ax!"

Munch looked at Fin, his eyes narrow, and he said, "Well, excuse me for not knowing that playing cards had fucking nicknames, Fin! Benson's the goddamn card shark! I'm just a detective."

"You should see her play pool," Elliot said, whistling. "You'd lose your shirt playing against her."

"So she's good with balls and sticks, then?" Fin asked, smirking at Elliot.

"Okay," Olivia said as she stopped shuffling. She slapped the deck down on the table and glared at Fin. "You have been making these snide, rude, biting comments about me and Elliot all damn night. You got a problem, Fin?"

Fin shook his head. "Nope. Just messin' with ya. Deal, Baby-Girl," he said.

Olivia shook her head and passed the deck to the right, dropping it in front of Elliot. "I'm done. I'm going upstairs to lie down, El. Come get me when you're done." She kissed him, cupping his face, letting her lips linger on his, and slowly nuzzled his nose. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, baby," he whispered back.

"Oh for cryin' out loud, man," Fin yelled. "Fuckin' deal!"

Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Why are you in such a damn rush? And just how long do you expect to play with your twenty dollar chip?"

Fin shrugged. "Maybe I won't bet money this time," he said, glaring at Elliot as if he was a perp.

"All right," Munch said, rising out of his chair, "When Fin starts getting violent, that's when I leave. Good night, people. See you all in the morning, except you, Ed, unless Stabler hits someone or Benson tells off the Governor. Again."

"Hey!" Olivia yelled from the stairs, her hand on the doorknob. "The man deserved it," she said, closing the door to the cribs behind her.

Tucker got out of his chair, too, and told Munch to wait. "I'll walk out with you," he said. "I need a cigarette. Cool if we take a break, guys?" he asked, looking at the men at the table.

"Sure, Ed," Cragen said. Munch and Tucker waved to everyone as they left the bullpen. "I have to make a phone call, anyway," he said with a chuckle. "Don't kill him, Elliot."

Elliot scoffed. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said, rolling his eyes. Once the captain was in his office, Elliot turned to Fin. "What is up with you, man? Something going on that I should know about?"

Fin narrowed his eyes, then sighed. He rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Stabler. For everything, man. I've been actin' like a jerk, I know that. I guess I just...I may have a bit of a thing for Olivia, and when you two..."

"Sorry, would you run that by me one more time?" Elliot asked, surprised.

Fin chuckled, unsure why he suddenly found the situation funny. "She's hot, okay? She's hot and she's smart and she's an incredible partner. The few times I worked with her, I've never felt so secure. When you got divorced I was pushin' you toward her, hoping you'd be split up, knowin' she'd be my partner, then..."

"Oh, Jesus, Fin!" Elliot shouted. "You wanted...you know that would have killed the both of us, don't you? You know if that ever happens, if it comes down to it, one of us, if not both, is fucking leaving, right?"

Fin nodded, got out of his seat, biting back his urge to be defensive. "I told you I was sorry, Elliot! And you beat me to the punch, every step of the way. I went to Cragen, and he already knew. I talk to your ex, and she fuckin' supports you. Hell, she's happy for you! Then, I e-mail Tucker, and he fuckin' knew."

"You sent that e-mail, Tutuola?" Tucker asked, appalled, as he walked back into the squadroom.

Fin snapped his head around toward Tucker and paled. "No, I just..uh...well, I...maybe."

"I'd expect that kind of behavior from, well, Stabler," Tucker said, gesturing to Elliot who had just made an offended, scrunched up, face at him. "No offense, Elliot. You know damn well you did background checks on everyone Benson's ever dated, using department resources."

Elliot simpered, then went back to shuffling his cards.

"You, Tutuola, purposely tried to get your colleagues, members of your own unit, friends, into some serious trouble," Tucker said, resting his hands on his hips. "Because you were jealous?"

"Is that a crime?" Fin asked, irritated.

"Technically? Yes," Tucker said, just as irritated. "You knew they weren't facing any consequences at work. Do you know the damage you could have caused if that e-mail fell into the wrong hands? You mentioned them by name, and you implied that they were mishandling evidence and jeopardizing cases. The accusations made in that e-mail, if I hadn't opened it first, wouldn't have split them up, if would have cost them their jobs! Not to mention certain suggestions could have gotten Stabler arrested!"

"What suggestions?" Elliot asked, rising to his feet.

Cragen, stepping out of his office, said, "That's a good question."

Fin looked at the harsh faces, feeling like a perp being interrogated. "Man, I don't have to deal with this shit." He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"You will," Tucker said. "Making false accusations against an officer, especially ones that severe, is a federal offense. My office, Tutuola. Nine o'clock tomorrow morning. This is now an official IAB inquisition."

Fin rolled his eyes and spat, "Fuckin' figures," as he left the bullpen.

"What accusations?" Elliot asked, his voice rising. Loud enough to draw Olivia out of the cribs.

Tucker sighed and said, "Since the e-mail was anonymous, we sent it to TARU. It was traced back to the computers in this unit, so we figured it was sent from an untraceable ISP rerouted to our server to throw us of the track. We never thought one of our own...expecially someone in this unit...would do that. Also, I knew that it was all complete bunk, so I never questioned you..."

"What, Ed?" Elliot yelled, interrupting.

"He accused you of raping Olivia, Elliot," Tucker said. "Not right out, in those words, but it was definitely suggested."

Olivia, walking over to the group, gasped and raised her eyebrows. "Who?" she asked, clearly aware she'd missed something.

Elliot pulled Olivia into his arms, kissing her forehead in an effort to comfort her. He pulled back to look into her eyes as he said, "Fin."

**A/N: Oh, boy! What's gonna happen to Fin? What exactly did that e-mail say? And we get some fluffy moments, and maybe a smutty one or two, as Olivia drops a hint of her own.**


	10. Inquisitions

**A/N: The power of suggestion, no matter how grossly wrong it is, is immense. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

Olivia held the printed paper in her hands, trying to stay composed. She was shaking, only slightly, and the tears were building up in her eyes, but not falling. She wouldn't let them fall. She looked down, struggling to push her emotions aside, and read the e-mail one more time.

_Sgt. Tucker._

_I have evidence that suggests two of the detectives in the Manhattan Special Victims Unit are not only romantically involved, but it has turned rather violent, in an ironic twist to their occupations. Elliot Stabler, known for his arrogant, hot-headedness, has been seeing his partner, Olivia Benson. However, things may not be happy. She's so in love with him that she would never say a single word about it, she'd never say anything against him. He has her wrapped around his little finger, and he's using that to his advantage. His temper stays with him when he leaves work, apparently, and Olivia's the only one there to bear the brunt of it. She may be telling him 'no,' but he's just not listening. By sending this e-mail, I hope you have enough reason for an investigation. You will find that they are, in fact, sleeping together, but I hope I'm proved wrong about the violent nature of their relationship, for Olivia's sake._

Olivia couldn't help it. A tear rolled down her cheek as she dropped the piece of paper onto Cragen's desk. She turned in the leather chair and dropped imply into Elliot's arms, and she took a deep breath when she felt him wrap them tightly around her.

Without looking at him, Elliot spoke to Tucker, who was standing, arms crossed, by the door. "I swear, on my life, I never laid a hand on her. I would never, ever, hurt her. You know me, Ed. I've almost killed people for hurting her."

"I know," Tucker said flatly. "These are serious accusations, and now that we know who sent that e-mail, we do have to investigate."

"Fine," Elliot spat, clutching Olivia to him. "Who goes first?"

"Olivia," Tucker said. "Elliot, I swear, this is going to be quick and painless. We all know these suggestions are outrageous, but…"

Olivia sighed and interrupted him. "I'll answer anything you ask, Ed," she said softly. "I just want to get this over with."

Tucker nodded and opened the door, holding open for her. "Elliot, I'll be gentle."

"Yeah, right," Elliot scoffed. "Just do your job and leave us the hell alone," he spat, crossing his arms.

Tucker sighed and walked out, leading Olivia out of the squadroom and up the stairs to an official, sterile-looking interrogation room. He pulled out her chair for her, put a microphone in front of her, and sighed. "Before I push this button, Olivia, please believe me when I tell you that I tried to keep this from happening, but if we're pressing charges against Tutuola, we need to prove he was lying."

"I know that," Olivia said, then she looked up at him and said, bitterly, "Sergeant Tucker."

Tucker sighed as he pushed the button. "Sergeant Edward Tucker. Inquisition of Detective Olivia Benson, Special Victims. Detective," he began, not looking at her, "You're aware that we have information suggesting your partner has, in some way, assaulted you."

"I'm aware," Olivia said, gritting her teeth.

"Has your partner, Detective Elliot Stabler, ever physically harmed you, either out of hurt, anger, jealousy or…"

"No," Olivia said firmly, cutting him off. "He's never hit me. Well, one time, he elbowed me in the face, but we were trying to take down a rapist. It was an accident. He apologized a thousand times, he felt worse about it than I did."

Tucker smiled and chuckled a bit. "Thank you," he said. "Has he ever been violent with you, in any way? Verbally or otherwise?"

"At work, yes, but that's the nature of the job," Olivia said. "We yell and scream at each other all the time, when tension's running high, but that's as far as it goes. Like I said, Elliot has never hit me. He's never even raised his hand to do it, never came at me out of anger, not once."

"I'm sure you're going to be offended by my next question," Tucker said, "But it needs to be asked, since the accusations imply that…"

"Just ask me, Sergeant," Olivia interjected.

Tucker sighed and looked her in the eyes apologetically. "Has Detective Stabler ever forced himself on you? Has he ever forced you to…"

"We work sex crimes," Olivia said with narrow eyes. "The whole reason Elliot became an SVU detective is because he believes sex should be one of the best experiences of our lives, not the worst! He knows my past, he knows what happened to my mother, and he knows if he ever even tried I'd…" she paused, not wanting to openly threaten her partner during a recorded, official interview. "He would never do that, and he would never have to."

"I know that," Tucker said. "It just needed to be asked. Thank you, Detective Benson," he said, then pushed the button, shutting the recorder off. "Olivia, are you okay?"

Olivia licked her lips, then pressed them together as she shook her head. She got up out of the seat, without looking at him, and walked out of the room.

Tucker sighed, knowing that Elliot's interview would not be as easy.

* * *

"Liv," Elliot said, softly, brushing her hair back as she slept on the lumpy bed in the cribs. "Liv, honey," he cooed a bit louder, trying to rouse her.

Olivia furrowed her brow, then her eyes opened, slowly. "El?" she questioned as her eyes focused on him. She popped up, panic-stricken. "What happened? Did you kill Ed?"

Elliot chuckled and caressed her cheek softly. "No, baby, I didn't kill Ed. I answered his questions, I didn't lose my temper as much as you think I did. Cragen's sending us home."

"Both of us?" Olivia asked. "Why?"

"This was exhausting, and neither of us is in any kind of emotional state to deal with rapists and killers," Elliot said, matter-of-factly, as he kissed the tip of her nose. "I assure you, we both still have jobs, you're still my partner, and Fin's still a dead man, if I ever get my hands on him."

Olivia chuckled, then let out a sigh of relief. "Home sounds good," she said. "A nice warm bath, a good book, and my bed."

"Our bed," Elliot said, as if correcting her.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Are you coming back to my place?" she asked with a smirk. "I would love that, but your kids…"

"Liv, do I need to ask? I mean, do I really need to ask you?" Elliot asked, humor evident in his voice, on top of the purely tired quality it had to it. "Baby, you've been staying with us, three nights a week, since we started dating. It just makes sense if you…"

"I can't," Olivia cut in, "El, you know why I can't."

Elliot sighed and rose to his feet. "I don't, actually, Liv. Why not?" he asked. "I think we've already proven that we can keep this professional at work, it's the pricks that we work with who are having the problem. Tucker's on our fucking side here, Liv. If you're worried about the kids, don't. They asked you before I did, you were there. And if you think we're moving too fast, then you have forgotten what we've been doing for the last four damn years. Because is sure fucking felt like a relationship to me," he said, his temper flaring only slightly out of exhaustion and frustration.

"I can't move in with you because my landlord won't let me out of my lease," Olivia said, trying not to laugh at how emotional and angry he'd just become.

Elliot looked at her for a minute, then snickered as he realized how he overreacted. "God, Liv, do you see what you do to me? You drive me crazy. You make me absolutely insane with need and want and worry, and love," he told her, kneeling in front of her. He cupped her face, held her still for a moment as he searched her eyes, and then pulled her head toward his to meet for a deep kiss.

There was a knock on the door, and it creaked open to reveal Cragen, looking glum. "Guys, I don't mean to interrupt, especially since I told you both to take the night off and just be with each other, but I got a call from Vega with Homicide."

Olivia unconsciously dug her nails into Elliot's shoulder blades as he held her, and she sucked in a breath.

Elliot stroked her back and kissed her lightly on the forehead to calm her, then to Cragen he asked, "And?"

"Olivia, honey, I know you don't need this right now, but your mother was pushed down those stairs. CSU reexamined the evidence, and there were greasy handprints on the back of your mother's jacket. They never suspected murder because she…"

"Was drunk," Olivia said, pulling away from Elliot and nodding. "I get it," she added. "You were right. I don't need this right now." She ran a hand over her face and sighed heavily, letting Elliot pull her back toward him.

With his arms around her, Elliot asked, "Did they run the prints? I mean, were they able to?"

"Yeah," Cragen said. "O'Halloran took high-res photos and scanned them, then ran them through the system. They came back to someone named Joseph Hollister, in the system for a series of rapes in the late seventies. He's dead, Olivia." He handed her a folder, and looked at her. "I had to know, Olivia. For my sanity, and I know you wanted to know, too. The man was a scumbag, but he didn't leave you alone."

"What? What does that mean?" Olivia asked, opening the file. She looked up at Elliot, a small smile threatening to break over her lips.

Elliot smiled back, simply because seeing her happy made him happy. "What, Liv? What is it, baby?"

She let the smile come to life, as tears filled her eyes, for a completely different reason than the last time they'd done so. "I have a brother," she whispered.

"This Hollister guy was your father?" Elliot asked, taking the file from Olivia. "Cragen ran you through the machine," he said, more to convince himself of what had happened than to inform her.

"The name fits, you know. Hollister is derived from the Old French surname, Hollier. It means 'whore,' or 'whoremonger,' Munch said, sneaking through the door.

"I'm not gonna ask why you know that," Olivia said, suppressing a laugh.

Munch smirked. "I took the call, Benson. I looked into it after I passed the info on to Cragen. I figured you'd wanna know where you came from. People keep saying you look Italian, now you can tell them you are. Hollister was half-Italian. He was also part Irish and his father was French."

Elliot grinned at her. "You're Irish," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Like, five percent, El," Olivia said with a smirk. "But if it makes you happy knowing I am…"

"I don't care what you are," Elliot said, kissing her. "I love you. All of you. I'm just happy that now you know, and we should find this guy. This, uh, Simon Marsden, and see what he's like."

Olivia turned to look at her captain. "Thank you, Cap," she said. "You didn't have to…"

"Yes, I did, Olivia," Cragen said. "You deserved to know.

"You know what else we deserve to know?" Munch asked, peering over his glasses. "What's gonna happen to Fin, and what am I gonna do about a partner?"

Cragen sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I have no idea," he said. "But I'm taking suggestions."

**A/N: What IS gonna happen to Fin? How does Elliot convince Olivia to move in? What happens when they meet Simon? And who surprises them by being with him? Reviews, and suggestions, are welcome!**


	11. Clarifications

**A/N: Elliot gets Olivia to open up, Olivia and Simon have a confrontation with a surprise guest, and tension's run high as Olivia makes a decision. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

"Liv," Elliot mumbled into Olivia's hair, rolling over in his bed, pulling her closer. "Liv, baby," he whispered, his hand traveling down her body.

Olivia nudged him, trying to wake him up, not that she minded being the object of his unconscious fantasies, but she was trying to sleep, and she'd had a really bad day. "El," she whispered, "Wake up and go to sleep."

"Baby, I'm awake," he whispered with a chuckle. "I just need to know that you're okay."

"I'm fine," Olivia sighed, snuggling around him.

"You're not fine," Elliot told her flatly, "Because I'm not fine. He's our best friend…or I thought he was and he tired to…"

Olivia opened her eyes and looked into Elliot's. "It didn't work, did it? No. So shut up and go to sleep."

"Avoid it, like you always do, Liv," Elliot gruffed, turning on his side, huffing as he pulled her tighter.

"You want me to cry about it?" Olivia asked, irritated.

"I'd like you to not ignore your feelings, baby," Elliot told her, plainly. "You always do, because you think it makes you stronger, but we have to deal with this. We both got hurt here, by someone we trusted, and we're lying awake in bed because neither one of us wants to admit that it hurts," he said, rubbing his hands over her back.

Olivia moaned lightly into Elliot's chest and nuzzled, saying, "I'm too pissed to be hurt."

"Maybe you just can't tell the difference anymore," Elliot whispered, hoping she didn't hear him.

No such luck. "What the hell does that mean?" Olivia asked, harsh and angry, sitting up.

Elliot sighed and shut his eyes. "Liv, baby, I didn't meant to…I'm just saying that you've been hurt a lot, so often, and it's at the point now where your first reaction is anger. You won't let yourself feel the pain, so you just jump right to pissed off."

Olivia was about to get angry, but that only made her realize he was right. "Yeah," she whispered. "Maybe," she said, leaning back, letting him hold her again.

"I'm just as pissed as you are, trust me," Elliot said, brushing her hair back, "But I can admit I'm hurt, too. What Fin did…it's unforgivable."

"You could have been arrested, El," Olivia said softly, finally voicing the fear, the worry. "You could have lost everything. I could have lost everything by losing you."

Elliot kissed her, caressing her cheek as he did, reveling in the tender moment. "Still think I'm crazy for telling Cragen and Tucker about us?" he asked, his lips brushing against hers.

"No," Olivia admitted. "If you hadn't…"

"But I did," Elliot interrupted. "You always tell me not to talk about the 'ifs,' so now I'm telling you not to."

Olivia nodded, sighing as she cuddled up closer to him, trying like hell to make him a part of her. "Oh, El," she mumbled. "I could have lost you."

"I'm right here, baby," Elliot whispered, holding her just as tightly, as she finally let herself cry.

* * *

Olivia was wonderfully calm when the alarm went off. She and Elliot had an amazing shower, together, and sent the kids off to school happily. When she grabbed her keys off of the coffee table on her way out the next morning, she noticed there was an extra one on the ring. She shot Elliot a look, and he smirked.

"Just a suggestion," Elliot said, smugly. "We have a stop to make before work. I already told Cragen."

Olivia raised an eyebrow and said, "So you strongly suggest I move in, and then you kidnap me?"

"Pretty much," Elliot replied briskly, kissing her on the nose. He took her hand and led her to the car, and they drove down a few blocks, then over to the East Side. "Okay, don't kill me," Elliot begged as they parked.

"Where are we?" Olivia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Your brother's house," Elliot sighed, and got out of the car. He walked around to her side and opened the door, hoping that his chivalry would earn him brownie points. He took her hand and they walked up the steps of the building, knocked on the door and he held his breath.

"Hello…" Simon Marsden stopped talking, staring his sister in the face. "Olivia," he said.

"Hi," Olivia said. "I think…Elliot…what are we doing here? I thought you said we were going to see my brother."

"Liv," Elliot said, turning to her. "This is the same Simon Marsden that your father…"

"Oh, my God," Olivia gasped. "Are you…you're not…"

Simon sighed and opened the door. "We should talk," he said, gesturing them to come in. He closed the door behind them and said, "How did you find out?"

"Wait," Olivia said, confused. "You knew?"

Simon nodded, then went over to the bookshelf. He took a small photo album off of it and handed it to Olivia, then gestured for her and Elliot to have a seat. "My father, uh, followed you. He had you followed. Whatever," he told her. "When you guys arrested me last year, it took everything I had not to tell you. I knew it would complicate things with your case if you knew who I was. But when you worked so hard to prove I was innocent, you did me all of those favors without even knowing, I knew I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to throw this at you."

Olivia flipped through the album, seeing pictures she didn't even know existed, and she said, "Well, it got thrown at me anyway. My mother was killed, by your father apparently, and my captain told me that…"

They heard footsteps. "Simon, who was at the…" the female voice broke off as the woman who owned it came into the room, clearly getting ready to leave. "Oh, shit," she spat.

Elliot's eyes widened. "Okay, now I'm starting to feel like Munch. This is a fucking conspiracy. Kathy, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Elliot, please, this isn't what you think," Kathy sputtered. "Simon and I are neighbors, and sometimes we have breakfast together. I guess you're here because you found out he's Olivia's brother?"

"You knew?" Elliot asked, appalled. "You knew and you kept it from me? From her?"

Kathy screwed up her face in worry and confusion. "Well, he didn't want her to know, Elliot. He only told me because he wanted me to do this huge favor for her in return for the two of you proving his innocence last year. He knew you'd find out eventually."

"I asked her not to tell you. It wasn't her place to say anything," Simon said, firmly. "It was mine, and I didn't feel right telling you, either. But now that you know, what, uh…"

"Wait," Olivia said, closing the photo album. "What favor, Kathy?"

Simon answered for her. "I told Kathy not to get in the way of you and Elliot," he said, not exactly lying. Not exactly telling the truth.

"He made me realize that letting you go, Elliot, was the right thing to do," Kathy said, smirking slightly, not ready to admit she'd pushed him away to begin with. "And it was. We're all a lot happier, aren't we?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, sighed, and smiled. he gave her a light nudge with his nose and said, "Well, Liv, you already know him. Anything you want to say to him? Ask him?"

Olivia looked up at Elliot and shook her head. "I'm good," she said. "I know enough, now. And I'm sure I'll remember how to breathe eventually."

"Olivia," Simon said, looking at her sadly, "I'm sorry, I…"

"It's okay," Olivia said, cutting him off. "I know why you didn't tell me, and I don't blame you for anything. I just, uh, I'm surprised."

Simon nodded. "Uh, dinner. Maybe. Soon. The three of us?"

"Maybe," Olivia said. "I have a few things I have to deal with at work, with…people. It won't be soon."

"I understand," Simon said. "This'll take time."

Olivia nodded, and rose off of the couch. "We have to go," she mumbled, eager to get out of there. Kathy was making her uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Simon said with a smile. "Take care of yourselves, and if you ever need anything…"

"We will, Simon," Elliot said. "Thanks." He took Olivia's hand and led her out, taking her to work, which only held more drama for them.

As he watched the door shut behind them, Simon turned to Kathy. "We're neighbors?" he asked, skeptically. "And sometimes we have breakfast together?"

"I panicked," Kathy said. "I wasn't going to tell them I came over to tell you what Fin did to them." She folded her arms and said, "And you're one to talk. You only asked me not to get in the way?"

"I panicked," Simon said with a smirk. "Keeping those two happy is gonna be hard damn work," he muttered.

Kathy nodded. "It's worth it though," she said. "You saw the way they held onto each other, how they couldn't take their eyes off of each other. That's love."

"In its strongest, purest form," Simon said, shaking his head. "You have to get to work. I have to go talk to Sergeant Tucker." He kissed her on the cheek, smiled at her, and said, "It's too bad we met under these circumstances, Kathy. We could have been great together."

They walked out of the building, and Kathy sighed. The thought of it, the suggestion alone, made her weak in the knees. She was falling for Olivia's brother.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Munch said, watching Olivia and Elliot walking into the bullpen.

"Hi, Munch," Olivia said, sighing as she sat in her chair. "How was your…"

"Benson," Munch said, his eyes focusing on the empty desk across from him. "I'm sorry for what he did to you, but he's suspended pending investigation and I'm alone, on my ass, until he's cleared or replaced. How do you think my night was?"

Elliot, narrowing his eyes, cleared his throat and said, "Hey, she didn't do anything, Munch. This wasn't her fault, man."

"I'm not blaming her, Elliot," Munch spat, his eyes seeming red. "I'm just not in the mood to talk about it, especially not with the woman who drove Fin fucking crazy!"

"Munch, you better watch it, man," Elliot seethed, cracking his knuckles.

Munch shook his head, getting out of his seat, slumping over to the coffee pot. "Yeah, you two break every rule in the fucking book and I have to watch it," he mumbled under his breath.

"Munch!" Cragen barked, hearing him, "We're all hurting, here. You're taking it out on the wrong people. Fin did this, he got himself in trouble, Olivia and Elliot had nothing to do with it."

"You weren't there, Cap!" Munch yelled. "None of you were! You weren't there in the middle of the night, seeing him in a holding cell, watching him cry," he spoke solemnly. "And you didn't have to look at him, shaking your head, knowing he deserved it all."

"No," Elliot said bitterly. "We just had to answer obscenely personal questions, on tape. I had to turn in my gun and my badge until they were satisfied that I didn't do anything to hurt Liv. We were up all fucking night wondering how someone we trusted could do this to us, Munch. So don't tell me we're supposed to fucking feel sorry for you, or your fucking scumbag of an ex-partner!" He slammed into his chair and opened the first file on the pile in his inbox, not caring what the hell it was.

Olivia looked at Elliot, saw the rage on his face and the tears in his eyes, and looked down at her desk. She fingered the shiny, silver key he'd given her and her heart filled with heat and love. She couldn't be away from him. The thought of being apart, even for a moment, the mere suggestion of it was enough to kill her. She never wanted to be away from him. She leaned over to tell him she'd start packing tonight, but Ed Tucker ran into the bullpen, panting.

"Don," Tucker gasped. "You gotta come with me. Tutuola's been shot."

**A/N: What? Oh my! Is he okay? Who shot him? Will the truth about Kathy and Simon ever come out? It will, when someone makes a few suggestions.**


	12. Declarations

**A/N: What happened to Fin? Who shot him? It's surprising what the power of suggestion can accomplish! **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

"Fin's gonna be okay," Cragen said, walking back into the bullpen. "When he wakes up, that is," he added.

"Like I give," Elliot muttered with biting sarcasm and resentment.

Munch sighed, hearing him, and shook his head. "What's Novak saying?"

Cragen folded his arms and said, "He's taking a plea bargain. No jail time, a month's suspension, counseling, and he's..."

"No jail time?" Elliot barked, cutting him off. "He could have ruined..."

"Elliot," Cragen interrupted, "He didn't. That's why he's not doing time. No real damage was done. We all knew everything in that e-mail was a load of bull. If anything would have happened, any real trouble caused for you both, then he'd be doing ten years."

Elliot shook his head. "So, in three weeks, he's coming right back here, and Liv and I are supposed to pretend none of this happened?"

Cragen raised an eyebrow. "Of course not," he said. "But other than this one, humungous, fucked up mistake, he's been a great detective. I can't fire him until we get another applicant. You know this is a voluntary squad, Elliot. Not many people want to deal with the most heinous crimes in this city."

Elliot looked at Olivia, worried. "I don't want him around..."

"I'll be fine," Olivia said, cutting him off. "I'll just ignore him, El."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "It's not you that I'm concerned about, Liv. I don't trust him around you."

"I can take him," Olivia said with a slight smirk. "Relax, El. I'm not happy about this, but there's nothing we can do. Just have to deal with it."

Elliot smiled at her. "If he tries anything..."

"El," Olivia interjected. "I'll kick his ass."

Cragen shook his head. "If he tries anything, Olivia, I'll kick his ass. How are you two coming on the Manetti case?"

Olivia tilted her head. "Dead end," she said. "Every lead we've had came up empty."

Munch nodded at Cragen. "They made phone calls, came and went six times, Benson even hacked into the..."

"That's good, thanks, Munch," Olivia interrupted, gritting her teeth.

"Hacked into the what?" Cragen asked.

Olivia sighed. "The vic's FaceSpace, MyBook, Flutter and VMail accounts," she listed.

Cragen looked shocked, impressed, and proud. "You get anything off of any of them?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but like I said," she told him, "It was just a bunch of dead ends."

Cragen nodded, then headed into his office. "Take a break," he shouted over his shoulder. "Look at it with clear heads and fresh eyes in an hour."

"Thanks, Cap," Elliot said. He nodded to Munch, then looked at Olivia as he got out of his seat. "Come with me?"

"Where?" Olivia asked, getting up.

"Just come with me," Elliot said, leading her out. He led her, as she followed, to the roof Once they hit the fresh air, on the tar covered top of their station house, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

This was the kind of kiss that make movies Oscar-worthy, that authors fail to describe accurately to their readers, that sleeping fairy-tale princesses need in order to wake up. This was true love in the form of physical, lip-to-lip, tongue-to-tongue, heart-to-heart contact.

Olivia struggled for air, pulled away, and dropped her forehead to his. "Wow," she breathed.

"Yeah," Elliot said, softly, brushing his lips against hers.

"I wanna move in with you," Olivia blurted out, overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment, not wanting to waste time and chicken out.

"Gee, Liv," Elliot said, "If I would have known that was all it took, I would have kissed you like that two weeks ago."

Olivia chuckled. "I loved that kiss, trust me, but I'm not moving in because of it," she said. "I can't be away from you. Even just having someone suggest that we split up, at work or in life, El, it kills me."

"It kills me, too, Liv," Elliot said, kissing her again.

Olivia pushed him away, clearly not done talking. "I don't want you to think I don't want you. I don't want you to think I'm trying to keep you at arms length, I'm not." She pulled away a bit more and looked into his eyes. "I'm scared to death, I'm not gonna lie. At least a third of every cell in my body is telling me to run. I've got the flight or fight thing going on, and flight is winning. But I'm fighting it, El."

Elliot smiled and pulled her back to him. "Kick it's ass, baby," he said. He kissed her, slowly, savoring the taste of her, as if she was a cool drink of lemonade on the hottest Summer day. He pulled back, begrudgingly, and said, "How are you gonna get out of your lease?"

"I already did, El," Olivia told him. "I called him while you were talking to our girl's principal. I dropped a few subtle hints, gave a him a good scare, reminded him I had a badge, he practically forgot I was ever even a tenant."

Elliot grinned and shook his head at her. "Now who the hell taught you how to make idle threats and flash your badge to get what you want?"

"My fiancée," Olivia said, chuckling.

"Whoa, fiancée?" Elliot asked, coughing.

Olivia laughed. "Relax, El," she said. "It was just a suggestion." She winked and laughed at him before he, too, chuckled and zoomed in for another toe-curling kiss.

* * *

"You did what?" Kathy yelled into her phone.

Simon, on the other end, explained what he had done, dropping hints at truth, not really telling it.

Kathy suddenly felt responsible. "You...I can't believe...I didn't tell you what he did so you could...you didn't? Oh, oh, my God, he did?"

Simon answered her hyperventilated questions, and she relaxed.

"Wow. As long as you didn't," Kathy said. "Because I don't want you to get into trouble. Not now. Not when we...forget it. I'm not suggesting anything, Simon. No, I'm...dinner? When?"

Simon gave her a day and a time, and she agreed, hanging up the phone. She smiled, not knowing who else he'd be inviting to dinner.

* * *

"Welcome home," Elliot said, holding the door open for Olivia.

Olivia smiled at him as she walked into the living room. "Thank you," she said. "It's quiet in here," she said to him, raising an eyebrow. "Too quiet."

Elliot shrugged. "That's what happens when the kids are with their friends."

"All of them?" Olivia asked, chuckling.

"I may have, uh, suggested that Daddy would happy if they all got out of his hair tonight. I knew it would be late when we got back, so they all went home with a pal after school. Dickie's with Sean, Maureen's with Audrey, Kathleen is with Stacy, and Lizzie is with Gertie."

Olivia raised her eyebrow, stepped closer to him, and played with his tie. "So that means we're all alone in this big house."

"Seems like it," Elliot said, sliding his hands up her arms, over her shirt, flicking open the buttons as he trailed down her chest. "No one would hear anything, or see anything, or walk in on anything."

"What are you getting at, Stabler?" Olivia asked, pulling his tie off, then making quick work of his shirt.

Elliot smirked, sliding her cotton shirt off of her body, moving down to her pants and pushing down the zipper. "Anywhere, baby," he said. "Anywhere, and any way." He backed her up against the wall, making sure she walked out of her pants, and as he nibbled and sucked on her neck, he whispered, "Tell me what you want, baby."

"I've already got it," Olivia said, pushing down his pants. She latched her lips onto his as she fought with his boxers, desperate to get them down and off.

"No, Liv," Elliot said, slipping his fingers into the sides of her panties and pulling them down, letting them drop. "Tell me what you want," he commanded, running his long, thick fingers up her wet slit.

Olivia, her hand now wrapped around his shaft, stroking, pulled him closer. She moaned, looping her leg around his waist, and guided the tip of him into her. "I want to make love to you, El, in every room of this house."

"I really like that idea," Elliot said, dropping his head to hers as he pushed the rest of the way inside her.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Munch asked, looking at O'Halloran.

The lab tech nodded. "I ran the ballistics test six times, and the prints were an exact match. Not to mention, the minute Fin woke up, he told Felix who shot him."

"I just can't believe...I mean, I can, but...I thought he hated Elliot," Munch said, shaking his head.

"He hated Fin more," O'Halloran said. "After all, he's the one who lost him his job, right? Not to mention, he's still in love with Olivia."

"Anything else?" Munch asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah," O'Halloran said. "We dumped the guys cell phone records, at Cragen's request, and ten minutes before Fin was shot, he took a five minute phone call from someone else involved in the case."

Munch furrowed his brow, reaching for the stapled packet. "Who?" he asked.

O'Halloran handed Munch the list of numbers and pointed to the highlighted digits. He sighed as he said, "Sergeant Ed Tucker."

**A/N: Are you good with suggestions? Who shot Fin? Guess in your review! Winner gets their name in the next chap as a character! **


	13. Confessions

**A/N: A glimpse into the home life of Elliot and Olivia, and Fin's shooter is revealed as he heads back to work! How does the unit react to his return?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

"You made these?" Elliot asked, his mouth full of waffle.

"You sound so surprised," Olivia said, smirking.

Elliot chewed, savoring every moment, and swallowed. "You don't cook!" he declared.

Olivia chuckled. "I had an abusive, alcoholic mother, El. I spent most of my childhood cooking and cleaning, being the adult. Just because I don't cook, doesn't mean I can't."

Elliot swallowed, immediately taking another bite. "But these are amazing," he mumbled, chewing.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Olivia scolded.

"See, Dad?" Kathleen chuckled. "She really is a mother."

Dickie and Lizzie looked at each other knowingly as they ate their waffles. Maureen rolled her eyes.

Elliot nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. His eyes widened and he moaned a bit. "Good God, woman! Can you please make the coffee at work?"

Olivia chuckled. "And steal Munch's thunder?" she asked. "Come on, guys. Hurry up. We're gonna be late."

"Yeah, all right, _Mom_," Maureen said, sarcastically. "Gonna ask us if we did all our..."

"Did you finish your homework, Dickie?" Olivia asked, taking the words out of Maureen's mouth.

The boy looked up and simpered. "Maybe," he said, giving her the same look Elliot always gave her when he did something stupid and was trying to get out of it.

"You'll have twenty minutes before first period when we drop you off. Get it done," Olivia said, starting to clean up the dishes.

As she walked into the kitchen, Maureen leaned over to her father. "Can we keep her?" she asked.

"We are totally keeping her," Elliot said, rolling his eyes in pleasure as he bit into another bite of waffle.

With the kids fed, washed, and dropped off at school, Elliot and Olivia drove to the station house, parked, and Elliot turned off the car. Olivia had her fingers on the handle, but he stopped her.

"Liv," Elliot said, grabbing her arm, "Wait a minute. Come here a sec," he said, pulling her toward him.

"What are you ---" She was cut off when his lips crashed into hers. Her hand, with a mind of its own, reached up, landing on the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

Elliot's hands ran down her body, resting on her lower back, pulling her tightly to him, taking her as far as she could go over the center console of the car.

The smacking of lips, soft moans, light chuckles, and gnashing together of teeth and tongues filtered through the car in delicious surround-sound as the kiss went on. Finally, finding it hard to breathe, Olivia pulled back. "Why would you do that before we have to go in there and, for the next fifteen hours, act like there's nothing going on between us?"

Elliot chuckled. "That's why, baby," he said. "I'm not gonna be able to touch you in an 'unprofessional' manner until we're done. And you know, that could be a while. It could be days, Liv."

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Olivia asked.

Elliot chuckled again, and pulled her back in for another kiss. There was a hard knock on Elliot's window, breaking the two apart.

Fin smirked, evilly, at them through the glass and waved his fingers before heading into the station.

"Holy shit," Olivia gasped.

"Yeah," Elliot muttered as he nodded, "He's not supposed to be here yet."

Olivia slid her arms off of Elliot's neck and said, "Kinda ruined the moment." She opened her door, and barreled into the precinct, with Elliot not far behind her.

* * *

Six hours into their day, working on an internet porn case, Elliot was leaning over Olivia's shoulder, watching as she expertly hacked into several secure sites. He was about to tell her how amazing she was when he got hit, for the tenth time, with a paperclip.

"Fin," Elliot barked. "Cut it the fuck out!"

Fin smirked, turning it into a sneer as Elliot glared at him.

"Got him," Olivia said, clicking a link. "Our perp's handle is 'PhantomOfTheTinMan'."

"Can you find out who it is?" Cragen asked, folding his arms, still stunned at the fact that Olivia could work through computers as easily as tying her shoes.

Olivia chuckled. "Cap, Elliot's twins could probably find that out. It's kid's stuff." She typed frantically, clicking the mouse twice, and a pop-up window opened. "Oh, my God," she said, her eyes frozen to the screen.

"Son of a bitch," Elliot spat.

"What?" Munch said, excited.

Elliot turned Olivia's screen around and said, "Brian Cassidy."

"That prick shot me!" Fin cried, getting out of his seat. "I thought you were supposed to collar him for..."

"We got busy," Cragen said, narrowing his eyes.

Elliot shook his head and grabbed his keys. "We should get Tucker. Cassidy's still with Narc..."

"No, he's not," Fin said, chuckling. "Anonymous tip to Barton in Narcotics got the bastard kicked off the squad for sellin' and usin' instead of loggin' the evidence," he said with a smug smile on his face.

Elliot scoffed and shook his head, resting his hands on his hips. Annoyed and a bit angry he said, "Anonymous my ass. Man, you just love making false accusations..."

"Hey!" Fin yelled. "It was true! They tested him," he declared. "I lied about you, Stabler, I admitted it. Everything I said about Cassidy was true. Tucker can vouch for it."

Munch interjected, "Tucker did call Cassidy right before Fin was shot. Told him to clean out his locker."

"There's your motive," Cragen said, pointing to Elliot.

"Yeah," Elliot replied. "Now we got him for promoting child porn." He grabbed Olivia's arm gently, pulled her out of her chair, and they left the squadroom, heading to get a warrant, and then to get Brian Cassidy.

* * *

"I thought he was just a one-night stand," Elliot said, pulling up in front of Cassidy's townhouse. "And it happened at your place."

"El," Olivia said, rolling her eyes, "I only know where he lives because I hacked into his computer. Rein in the jealousy, huh?"

Elliot hummed and nodded, slamming his car door. "How would you feel if I knew where every woman I slept with lived, just off the top of my head?"

"I'd feel wonderful knowing you knew where the mother of your children and I live," Olivia laughed. "Bad example, El."

"Okay, smartass," Elliot said, chuckling, "Ring the damn bell."

Olivia rang the bell, then turned to Elliot. "I don't know where _every_ man I've slept with lives, El."

"How long a list are we talking about?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't get married in high school, El," Olivia scoffed. "So it's lot more than two," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"How long of a list, Liv?" Elliot asked, irritated.

Olivia snickered. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?" she asked. "Nine," she finally said.

"That's lower than I expected," Elliot admitted. "I'm happy about that, don't think I'm not, but you are...you're fucking hot, okay? How could any guy keep his hands off of you?" he asked, disbelieving. "Nine? In sixteen years? Really?"

"I do have some standards, Stabler," Olivia spat, wide-eyed. She rang Cassidy's bell again, then said, "I dated a lot, El, but I didn't sleep with every man I've ever dated."

"You slept with me, though," Cassidy said, his door now open. "How ya doin', Benson?"

"Better than ever," Olivia said. "Can you step outside please?"

Cassidy smirked. "Why don't you come inside?"

"That's a bad idea, Cassidy," Elliot warned, his voice threatening.

"No one was talking to you, Stabler," Cassidy said, still looking at Olivia.

"No, but I don't like the way you're talking to or looking at my partner," Elliot said. "We really need you to step outside."

Cassidy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Is this about Fin? I shot him, okay?" he confessed. "But are you two really mad? I mean, after what he did to you, I thought I was doing you a favor, Olivia," he said. "Anyone who hurts you, they get what they deserve."

"We're not here to take you in for shooting Fin," Olivia said.

"No?" Cassidy asked. "Then why the hell are you here? I didn't rape or molest anyone under eighteen who didn't want it...desperately."

Elliot scoffed. "No, you just put their pictures up on the internet so other pervs can do that for you."

"Internet, what?" Cassidy said, raising an eyebrow.

"Cassidy," Olivia began. "We got your name, address, and credit card number off an industrial porn website," she said. "Your handle was attached to several hundred uploads, all featuring some pretty young leading ladies."

"Yeah?" Cassidy said, laughing. "Lemme guess. The Phantom one?"

Elliot and Olivia exchanged a glance, then he said, "Yeah. That one."

"You didn't do your homework," Cassidy said. "That handle belongs to the squad. It circulates. We use it to get into chat rooms and on-line drug rings. Sex crimes aren't the only dangers lurking around on the world wide web, ya know," he told them. "Anyone who's ever been a lead detective in the Narc Unit has the password for that username. It's registered to the current lead. When nimrods like you, Stabler, bring up that information, you're supposed to call and verify that the actions were case related."

Olivia held up a hand, took a breath, and said, "So you're telling us that someone else with the password did this?"

"I worked in your unit, Olivia," Cassidy said, his eyes narrow. "What those sick fucks do those little girls...I left the unit because I couldn't handle it. I would never feed those babies to the wild dogs!"

"Any names you can give us?" Elliot asked. "Other people who have access to that name and password?"

"Gee, Stabler," Cassidy said, patronizing. "If only you know a former narcotics detective who'd be itching to get me in trouble, and would know exactly how to piss you and your girlfriend off by using kiddie porn as the catalyst."

Olivia furrowed her brow. "You're not suggesting..."

"No," Cassidy said. "I'm flat out telling you it was Fin." He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I will come down to SVU with you, answer whatever questions you want, give you the other names, but you know it, guys. He has a habit of framing people for doing shit they didn't do." He looked at Elliot and said, "I'm not going down for this, man."

Elliot nodded. "No cuffs, Cassidy. Just get in the car," he said. "The backseat!"

Olivia watched Cassidy willingly climb into the back of their sedan, and she turned to Elliot. "You think Fin would really do this?"

"Liv," Elliot said, turning toward her. "I don't think we ever really knew Fin, so I don't know what to think." He sighed and said, "We have to go see Huang tomorrow."

"I know, I remember," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "I still don't see why we have to do this. Charges were dropped, complaint was thrown out."

Elliot shrugged. "I think it'll be good for us, ya know? How much could talking about our sexual fantasies possibly hurt?"

"El," Olivia said with a chuckle, "I want to tell you every fantasy I have, baby, I just don't wanna do it in front of George."

Elliot laughed as he led her down the steps, back into the car, and they headed for the station to clean up this mess. They were, however, only going to make it bigger.

**A/N: Was it Fin? Cassidy? Both? Neither? And how will talking about sex with Huang go? When he makes a few suggestions, what will Olivia and Elliot do? Anyone want to know?**


	14. Fantasies

**A/N: Sex therapy with Huang. Suggestive, no? *PS, you can follow me on Twitter if you'd like. TMG212**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

Olivia pushed open the door, sat on the couch, and folded her arms.

Elliot, sitting next to her, looked at her like an irritated father. "You're late," he whispered.

"Forgive me for having to run a vic to Saint Mary's," Olivia spat back. "Not to mention I had to sign off on Cassidy's statement, find three other cops in Narcotics who've got that damn password, and get out of the squadroom while trying to avoid Fin."

Elliot pressed his lips together and nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm sensing some tension," Huang said, smirking. "Sexual tension?"

"Work tension," Elliot said. "We're in work mode, Doc. Give us a second here."

Huang leaned back in his chair, biting on the end of his pen, and observed as Elliot helped Olivia take off her jacket. They both rolled their shoulders, took a deep breath, and visibly relaxed. Elliot smirked at Olivia, leaned in, and kissed her. Olivia put her hands on his shoulders, playfully protesting, and chuckled as she kissed him back. "Uh," Huang said, "I guess you're ready?"

Elliot nodded, his arm draped over Olivia's shoulder. "Not that we wanna do this, but thanks to Fin…" he paused and shrugged, as if saying, "We've got no choice."

"I'll be delicate," Huang said, "And you don't have to answer anything you're not comfortable with me knowing."

Olivia chuckled. "Then we should just leave now."

"Olivia," Huang said, rolling his eyes, "Not what I meant."

"Right," Olivia said, sighing. "What is your, uh, first question?"

Huang kicked his foot up and rested it on his opposite knee, looked down at his notebook, and asked, "How active is your sex life?"

"Good morning to you, too," Olivia said, her eyes wide. "You just kind of jumped right in there, huh?"

Elliot chuckled. "I told him we wanted to get this over with as fast as possible, Liv."

Olivia smirked and shook her head at Elliot, then said, "Active."

Huang laughed. He leaned forward a bit and said, "That's not…how many times a week would you say, on average, you two have sex?"

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Uh, a week? Could we, like, give you a range?"

"Range?" Huang asked. "You could, I guess, yeah."

"Okay," Elliot said, shifting in his seat. "Seven to twenty-five," he finally said with a shrug. "Between there, usually."

Huang's eyes popped open. "Excuse me? That's not exactly an average range, Elliot. And it doesn't really help me."

"Well, Doc, we've never really gone more than a day without sex," Elliot explained. "And sometimes it's two or three times a day, sometimes, like on weekends, it's more than that. A lot more than that."

"So, you're telling me that you have sex at least once a day," Huang said, writing in his notebook.

Olivia and Elliot nodded.

"Okay," Huang said, sighing and leaning back again, "Would you, uh, well, um, how many times do you both…finish."

Elliot snickered and Olivia elbowed him. "Every time," Olivia said, honestly, controlling her urge to laugh. "Sometimes, well, most of the time, more than once."

"Now you're just being…you're not taking this seriously," Huang said, putting his feet down.

"I'm not kidding, George," Olivia said, seriously.

Huang's eyebrows lifted and he had to ask. "Olivia, multiple orgasms is a very rare occurance. Now, is this something you've experienced…"

"Never," Olivia interrupted, sensing where the question was going. "Only with Elliot. He's the first man I've been with who gets me to do a lot of things, actually."

"Yeah, I do," Elliot mumbled under his breath, earning another elbow to the ribs.

Huang pursed his lips together and narrowed his eyes. "And, Olivia, uh, what positions seem to make you…"

"All of them," Olivia said, biting her bottom lip, interrupting again. "It doesn't matter how, where, when, or what I ate for breakfast, Doc. With him, it's every single time."

Elliot chuckled, and the look on his face, Huang noticed, was arrogant. Proud. Cocky.

"What about you, Elliot?" Huang asked.

Elliot scoffed. "I can cum from just looking at her," he said, blunt and honest. "Don't worry about me, Doc."

Olivia pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, leaning further into Elliot's arms.

"Do either of you," Huang began, but stopped, knowing they could, and would, get angry. "Please, don't take this the wrong way, but I have to ask due to the nature of this session. With what you do, the jobs that you have, do either of you have any problems with your sexuality?"

"Well, when we have a particularly brutal case, it kinda kills the mood," Elliot said. "We just go home and cuddle. But no, Doc. I think we both have perfectly functional…"

"Right," Huang interjected. "I meant, do either of you find yourselves ever using sex as a weapon? A distraction? Or does what you work with follow you into the bedroom?"

Olivia's mouth dropped. "Huang, are you asking if we have rape fantasies?"

"Yes, actually," Huang said. "I'm asking if you're aware of yourself or Elliot ever being aroused by any of the scenarios you've been faced with, Olivia."

"Absolutely not," Olivia replied, feeling slightly offended and very disgusted. "I have a history with it all, and Elliot's too damn Catholic to…well there was that one time he tied me up, but that's not…I don't have fantasies of being hit and beaten and violated, George!"

"That's good, then," Huang said. Then he turned to Elliot. "You? You ever have any fantasies of being in total control? Telling her what to do? Maybe being a bit violent?"

Elliot's eyes fluttered shut and he swallowed back the urge to throw up. "Huang, that's really…I can't tell you how nauseous that makes me."

"Okay, then," Huang said, sighing, having gotten the one question he was required to ask out of the way. "What fantasies do you have, Elliot? What would you like to do to her?"

"Are we really doing this?" Elliot asked, sounding frustrated. "I mean, I get that you had to ask us if we were closet rape-fetishists, since that's why we're fucking here, but do I really have to…" he ran a hand down his face and took a deep breath. "I respect her way too much to talk about this."

Olivia reached over and grabbed his hand. "It's okay, El," she said. "We have to do this."

Elliot looked at her, rolled his eyes, and sighed. "I want…" he paused, running the hand that wasn't holding Olivia's down his face. "Okay, just say it, right? The truth? My ultimate fantasy? I've already got it," he said quickly. "I don't know what to tell you, Doc. Whatever I want, she gives me, and vice versa. I don't want her to dress up or play a part because that's like, ya know, not her and all I've ever wanted is her. It took me a while to realize it, but that's the truth. We've already done the blindfolds, and the human ice cream sundae, and the bathtub, and we've had sex in a moderately public place. She _is_ my fantasy."

Olivia was staring at him, dumbfounded. Her eyes were soft and the look on her face was one of shock and love.

"There's nothing, not one thing, that you're afraid to ask her for, Elliot?" Huang asked, clicking his pen, nervous because now he was being pushy and no one pushed Elliot and lived.

Elliot glanced at her, bit his bottom lip, and rolled his neck. "One thing," he said. "But I can't…shit, George, I hate you right now."

Huang tilted his head. "If you can't be open about your fantasies, Elliot, then we have a problem with your communic…"

"The beach," Elliot said, suddenly, looking out the window. "An empty, white, sandy beach. No one around, just us, and it's gotta be right at the spot where the waves break on the shore and roll in, so that we'd get slightly wet but the water would just roll away. It's gotta be at sunset, and it's gotta last until all of the stars have come out and it's too dark to move. It's also…gotta be a certain day. A very specific night."

"That's a very specific fantasy, El," Olivia said, looking up at him.

"Yeah," Elliot said, softly, looking back at her. "It is."

Huang looked at him, and cocked his head. "What night?"

"Do you wanna die, Huang?" Elliot asked, narrowing his eyes.

Huang chuckled and glanced at Olivia. "What about you, Olivia. What hidden fantasy do you have about Elliot?"

"I want him to dress up like Batman. With the cape and everything," Olivia said coolly. She looked at Huang's face, saw the expression on it, and said, "I'm kidding!"

Elliot laughed and said, "She wants me to be Superman actually."

"I'm his Kryptonite," Olivia said, winking.

"Olivia, please, Elliot told you what he wanted," Huang said, nodding with a condescending smile.

Olivia sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. "I'm boring, George. Unlike Elliot, I knew I wanted him from the moment I met him. My ultimate fantasy, for years, was him telling me that he loved me, throwing me up against the wall, and making love to me until he made me forget my own goddamned name." She swooped her finger through the air and said, "Check!" She shrugged and looked down at the carpet beneath her feet. "I suck at relationships, so right now, the best I can give you, George…the closest I can come to an unrealized fantasy, is…I want him to promise me he'll always be there when I wake up in the morning. That's my fantasy. I want to actually _not_ fuck this up."

Huang gave her a sympathetic smile, and saw Elliot squeeze her hand. "Nothing else?" he asked, knowing Olivia would need the prodding.

"I like his beach thing," Olivia said, avoiding the question. "Go with that. I second that."

Huang laughed. "You can't borrow his fantasy, Olivia. Is there a reason you can't tell him?"

"I can tell _him_," Olivia said, glaring slightly.

"Oh, I get it," Huang said. "You think I'll start analyzing you. You think I'll try to read too much into it. It's just a fantasy, Olivia, it's just sex. I'm just here to gauge whether or not your fantasies and sexual behaviors are normal, or if you're being affected by your jobs." He put his notebook and pen down and sat up straight. "I won't even write it down," he said.

Olivia bit her bottom lip, ran her hand over her face, and as she covered her mouth she mumbled, "Raven's nest."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "What?" he asked, looking at her, confused. "What did you just say, baby?"

"Did you just say you wanted him to make love to you in a raven's nest?" Huang asked, stupefied.

Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed, "No, you dope, I said Cragen's desk!"

Elliot's jaw dropped. Huang's eyes widened.

"Now you see why I didn't want to tell you," Olivia said, waving her hand between the two men. "God, this is awful. Are we done?"

"Um," Huang uttered. "Why?"

Olivia shifted in her seat again, leaning further into Elliot, her butt lifting slightly off the couch as she lifted her legs to sit on her knees. They were cuddling now. "Why? Because we have a case that we need to go work on, and I'm hungry, I need coffee, and all this sex-talk has made me…"

"No, Olivia," Huang said, shaking his head. "Why Cragen's desk?"

Olivia scoffed and smirked as she explained. "It's like this, right? No one's there, it's the middle of the night, and Cragen's door is open. We go in, intending to use the leather couch, but there it is, our captain's desk. The desk where the man who pushes us to our fucking limits sits every single day. Imagine if he sat behind it, completely unaware, while Elliot and I know what we did on it. It's the ultimate 'kiss my ass,' it's a way to, I dunno, I guess to have some kind of power over him. It's the thrill of sneaking around, possibly getting caught, because he shows up at all hours of the goddamned night." She laughed to herself and said, "We met in that office. I fell in love with him in that office. It would be almost cosmic to make love in that office. Besides, I just think it'd be really fucking hot if he bent me over the captain's desk."

"Bent over?" Elliot asked, smirking down at her. "Really now?"

Olivia smirked back at him. "All part of the fantasy, El. And yeah, you'd get to do that thing you know you wanna do that you neglected to tell Huang about."

"What thing?" Huang asked.

Elliot, laughing, couldn't speak. He just slapped Olivia lightly on the ass and kissed her, letting his hand remain on her bottom, caressing, then squeezing as he kissed her.

"Oh, so, uh, you're an ass man, Stabler?" Huang asked, smirking with a light laugh.

Elliot nodded. "Only Olivia's, though. I could write award-winning poetry about this thing," he said, squeezing it again.

Huang chuckled. "Okay, guys, I think you've fulfilled your obligation. I'll fill out my report declaring you both perfectly sane and sexually healthy. But if I may make one , little suggestion?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, getting off of the couch.

Huang looked at Elliot, then at Olivia, then back to Elliot. "You should live out these fantasies. Well, I mean, Cragen's desk might be difficult, but…" he paused as he saw the expressions on their faces. "It would be good for you to indulge in each other's most taboo desires, it'll bring you exceptionally close. Just, pick one, guys. The beach, the desk, or the ass," He told them. "You'll thank me."

Elliot shook Huang's hand, then led Olivia out of the room, heading back to their department. "Liv, uh, would you really let me…I mean, if I could get us into his office, somehow, you'd really be okay with me…"

"Yes," Olivia said, then she turned around and asked, "Where'd that beach thing come from?"

"Oh, uh," Elliot stammered, hitting the call button for the elevator, "I've had that one for a while."

"You said it had to be a specific night, El," Olivia said, walking into the elevator as the doors opened. She took his hand as he walked in next to her. "What night?"

As the door slid closed, Elliot leaned closer to Olivia and said, "Our wedding night."

**A/N: How does Olivia react to that? Which fantasy do they live out? How much of an a-hole is Fin really being? Next chapter, coming soon, if you want it!**


	15. Bonds

**A/N: Fantasy come true? How much of a dick is Fin, really? This chap is a bit, uh, suggestive.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

Olivia and Elliot walked back into the squadroom, a bit tense, a bit worked up, and both of them, after talking about sex for the last hour, were really in the mood for a cold shower or a hot romp in the cribs.

Neither was going to happen, Olivia thought as she looked around the room. Something odd caught her eye, and she alerted Elliot to it, before he sat in his chair.

"Don't," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back up.

"Liv," Elliot said, raising an eyebrow, "How do expect me to work standing up?"

Olivia picked up the thinck, city phone book off of her desk and threw it very roughly into Elliot's chair. It crashed to the floor, the seat going one way and the wheeled legs rolling another.

"Holy shit," Elliot said. "How did you know?"

Fin scoffed from his seat, "Man, Baby-Girl, you shouldn't have stopped him! You know that would have been fuckin' funny."

"He could have gotten hurt, Fin," Olivia said, holding out her hand to him. "Hit his head on the desk, twisted something, you didn't think..."

"Oh, I thought," Fin interrupted, chuckling. "That woulda been even funnier." He opened his top drawer and handed Olivia the screws he'd taken from Elliot's chair.

Olivia narrowed his eyes, turned, and handed Elliot the metal nuts and bolts. "Here," she said.

"I still wanna know how you knew," Elliot said, dropping to the floor to collect the bits of his chair.

"It was leaning to the left, and I saw one of the legs already pulling away from the seat," Olivia explained. "I'm a detective, El. Forget?"

"No. I just didn't think you paid such close attention to my chair," Elliot said, chuckling.

Munch, from behind him, said, "I don't think it's the chair she was staring at, Stabler."

Olivia slapped Munch in the arm, but then chuckled. "It wasn't," she said, "But all that staring at your ass just saved it, literally."

"I still think it woulda been funny," Fin said, leaning back in his own chair.

Elliot glared at Fin, still hurting from the way he'd turned on him and Olivia, and sat in his newly reconstructed seat. "You and I have a very different idea of 'funny,' Fin."

"Same idea of 'hot,' 'sexy,' and 'fuckable,' though, right?" Fin asked, his voice gravelly.

Olivia pretended not to hear him and picked up her phone. They had leads to follow and detectives to question. They didn't have time to react to Fin thinking he was suddenly King of the fucking Universe.

Cragen , red rope licorice in his hand, came out of his office and walked over to Elliot and Olivia. "You two need to go talk to O'Halloran, then Tucker wants to see you. It's around nine now, so don't be surprised if you come back to an empty squadroom." He bit into his chewy treat, then turned to head back into his office.

Olivia shot Elliot a look, a dangerous, evil look. One that he returned with a smirk. Fin noticed, and he was going to find out what, exactly, that look suggested.

* * *

As Cragen predicted, they returned to the bullpen to find everyone gone. The only light was from the lamp on Olivia's desk. Elliot took off his jacket, resting it over his chair, and he looked around, making sure they were really alone. "Hey," he said, getting Olivia's attention. He nodded toward Cragen's office and asked, "Wanna see if it's unlocked?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. "You can't be serious!"

"Hey, it's your fantasy, baby," Elliot chuckled. "Who am I to deny you anything?"

Olivia shook her head. "El, I'd much rather do your whole sex-on-the-beach thing," she said without thinking as Elliot tugged her toward Cragen's door.

"No, I told you exactly when that's happening," Elliot said, his heart leaping just a bit since she'd basically suggested she would marry him. His hand was on the knob, turning, and they heard the click. Both pairs of eyes widened. "It's your fantasy, baby, walk me through it," he whispered, opening the door.

Olivia shook her head. "This is insane," she said, walking into the dark office. "I don't...El, I mean...in my fantasy it's never planned, it's always just sort of..."

"Like this?" Elliot asked, practically ripping the shirt off of her body. She yelped, and he chuckled, kissing her neck. He pulled off her bra and lowered himself even more, as he backed Olivia up against the desk. "Get out of these things, baby," he said with her nipple in his mouth, trying unsuccessfully to navigate the complicated clasp on her belt.

Olivia managed to get it off, and Elliot ripped down her black jeans and tore her panties off. "Easy, tiger," she said, standing in his arms, naked.

Elliot growled at the sight and pulled her into him, kissing her passionately.

Olivia moaned, and she worked quickly to get his clothes off, and when she'd finished, they pulled apart. There was moment of silence, staring into each other's eyes, contemplating the next move. Suddenly, Elliot made another growling noise, and turned Olivia around. "Down," he said, with a lilt in his voice. "Bend over, like you want it."

Olivia did, her hands resting flat against the oak surface of Cragen's desk. She felt him run his hands down her back, sending a shiver up it in return, and she felt his fingers slide into her, pumping her a few times. She threw her head back and moaned, loudly, then felt his hand move lower, his thumb finding her clit.

"Liv," he whispered, bending over to talk into her ear, "I don't wanna hurt you."

"You won't," Olivia assured him, moaning as she spoke. "I trust you, El," she whispered to him.

Elliot eased her down flatter on the desk, kissed every inch of her back and neck, and stood up, ready to make one of his own fantasies come true.

Two and a half hours later. They held each other tight, sprawled out on Cragen's desk, feeling a new type of closeness, a new bond. Elliot pulled Olivia closer and wrapped her even tighter in his arms. "That was...indescribable."

Olivia nodded into his chest, needing to feel him close to her.

"Was it everything you thought it would be?" Elliot asked softly, stroking her back lovingly.

"God, yes," she said, it came out in a moan.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Elliot asked, concerned.

Olivia popped her head up to look at him. "Did it sound like you were hurting me?"

"At times, yes, actually," Elliot chuckled. "That was something new for both of us, and though we only did it that way once, I need to know you're okay."

"I'm fine, El," Olivia said, a promise. "I would have stopped you, and I certainly wouldn't have rolled over and gone in for round two."

Elliot laughed as he kissed her. "Or three," he said, wagging his eyebrows. "So we both lived out a fantasy in here tonight."

"Yeah," Olivia said. "This office holds a lot of memories for us, baby. We just added another one to the list." She ran a hand down his chest and sighed. "Next stop, private beach," she said, nuzzling into his body.

"Honey," Elliot said, kissing the crown of her head. "That's the second time tonight you've mentioned living out that fantasy, and you know we can't do that yet."

Olivia looked up at him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Why not?"

Elliot grinned at her, bent his head, and kissed her, as he realized the power that one, suggestive question held. "I love you," he told her, kissing her.

"I love you, too," she replied, returning his kiss as she shifted, sliding off of the desk. As she reached for her pants, though, she heard footsteps just beyond the door, she heard a sliding, rolling noise, as if someone had just sat in a desk chair. Then there was whistling, and then a low chuckle. "El," she said, pulling on her clothes quickly, "Someone's out there!"

Elliot popped up and looked panicked. "Who?" he asked, scrambling to get dressed.

Olivia pulled up her jeans, hopping into the, and zipped them as she said, gravely, "Fin."

**A/N: Uh-oh! How do they get outta this one? Did Fin hear them? Does he know what they did? What is he gonna suggest they do, if he did? Review! I'll tell you!**


	16. Steams

**A/N: Fin's outside. They're stuck. An unlikely dinner date? And when a suggestion is made at work, how far will someone take it?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns this story. Every little piece of it. **

"Shit. He's out there. That's not good," Elliot muttered, pulling his shirt back on. He looked around, over his shoulders, glared at the window, then he smirked. "Hey, baby," he said, "You're an amazing climber."

Olivia nodded as she grabbed her phone, badge, gun, and keys. "Yeah, so are you, but I don't see how that's gonna...oh, no. We are not."

"We are," Elliot said, nodding. He walked around to the side of the office and opened the window. He poked his head out and looked down, to the left and right, then pulled back. "It's really not that high."

"We're on the fifth floor," Olivia said, her eyes wide.

Elliot shrugged. "We've climbed down from higher places, Liv."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Those were mountains, or buildings while we were chasing perps!" she reasoned. She sighed, then. "So either we climb out the window, or we go out into the bullpen and try to explain to a man who hates us why we were in Cragen's office at three in the morning."

"Those are our options, Detective Benson, yes," Elliot said, sticking a leg out of the window, grabbing onto the drainpipe.

Olivia looked back at the door, then walked toward Elliot, following him out and down the side of the station house.

* * *

They walked into the bullpen the next morning, at six-thirty-five, to find Cragen happily drinking coffee in his office and Fin, annoyed, at his desk.

"Something wrong, Tutuola?" Elliot asked, sipping his rich, cart-bought coffee.

Fin grunted. "How the fuck did you get outta there?" He asked.

"Out of where?" Elliot questioned, raising his eyebrow

"You know where," Fin spat. "I followed you. I gave you privacy, I mean, as hot as listenin' woulda been, it's just rude. But how'd you get out? I was out here all night."

Elliot shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "Liv and I went right home after we were done talking to O'Halloran."

Fin looked right at Elliot, confused, and mumbled, "Whatever."

Olivia sipped her coffee, pretending not to hear the conversation. She rifled through her drawer for a pen, needing to sigh a leftover five that went forgotten last night, and when she couldn't, she reached across to Elliot's desk.

"Baby-Girl," Fin tried to warn, "Don't touch the..."

"Jesus Christ!" Olivia yelled, as ink splattered all over her neck and shirt when she clicked the pen. "What the hell, Fin?"

Elliot, shocked and pissed off, ran over to her with napkins he'd taken from the coffee cart. He wiped off her neck, and tried to salvage her shirt.

"Those pens, uh, they're jokes," Fin said with a shrug.

"I'm not laughing," Olivia barked, her jaw clenched.

Fin rolled his eyes. "No, because it was meant for Stabler. It woulda been fuckin' funny if..."

"Your shirt's ruined baby," Elliot whispered to her, interrupting Fin. "The more I try to dab it up, the more it spreads," he told her.

"Shit," Olivia hissed. She pushed fin out of her lap and rose to her feet, walking over to her locker. She pulled out the black NYPD tee-shirt she wore to work out in, and stormed out of the bullpen, heading to the bathroom. She glared harshly at Fin on her way out, making him feel a bit like shit.

Elliot tossed the inky napkins in the bin as he ran out after her, chasing her into the ladies' room. "Liv," he said, "I don't know what he's...damn you look good naked."

Olivia chuckled. "I'm not naked," she said, dropping her ink-stained shirt to the floor as she unfolded the tee. "Just topless. I'm wearing a bra."

"But I know what you look like out of it," Elliot growled, stepping closer to her.

Olivia held up a hand, stopping him, and pulled the tee-shirt over her head. "Stay," she chuckled. She straightened out her shirt and headed for the door. "No sex at work," she said to him, pointing into the air. "Rule number one."

Elliot's eyes widened. "Liv, last night..."

"Was a fantasy," Olivia finished, turning around. "An amazing, phenomenal, fantasy. It was incredible, but it can't happen again, El," she said.

Elliot sighed and nodded. "Yeah, right," he said, following her back out of the bathroom. "But, like, the car, and cheap motels during lunch and dinner breaks, that's not at work." He smirked, smoothed out his tie, and walked passed her with a strut.

"You egotistical..." Olivia paused, raised an eyebrow and said, "No. No, it's not."

Elliot licked his lips, gave her another smug grin, and nodded. "Yo, Cap! Can we get to work here?" he yelled into the bullpen, eager to get as many hours in, counting them down until lunch.

Cragen came out of his office, carrying two slips of pink paper. "Fin, Munch," he called. "You got a DB on Thirtieth." He turned to Olivia, looked her up and down, raised his eyebrow, and said, "You two have a vic at Mercy. What's with the tee-shirt?"

"Fin's practical joke got a little out of control," Olivia said, sending another glare in Fin's direction. "Ruined my shirt." She put the blazer on over her shirt, took the paper out of Cragen's hands, and nodded at Elliot.

Elliot frowned and pointed at Fin. "If they get back before we do, keep him the hell away from my desk!" he yelled, then turned on his heels to follow Olivia for the second time that morning.

"You need to do something to control your anger, Stabler," Cragen yelled after him. "Try yoga! Tantric meditation! Tae-Bo! Something to blow off all that steam!"

Elliot chuckled. "Thanks for the suggestion," he yelled back, as Olivia hit the call-button for the elevator. He led Olivia into the lift and let the doors close. He counted to fifteen, slowly, the numbers his inner-voice sang drowning out the silence, and as his conscience hit the "-teen" on the last number the doors opened. He led her, with a hand on her lower back, one which she didn't swat away this time, out of the doors and to their sedan. Once they were buckled up, he turned suddenly, leaning over, and crashed his lips into hers. Light nibbles, smacking sounds, soft moans, his tongue roaming the depths of her mouth, and he knew she was loving it as much as he was. He pulled away slowly, still supping her face.

"What was that for?" Olivia asked, breathless.

Elliot smiled. "I love you," he said. "I kiss you when I can, where I can." He turned the key, starting the car, and looked at her again. "And that was just a small bit of, as Cragen put it, blowing off steam."

"How much steam have you got, exactly?" Olivia asked, suggestively, as the car backed out of the parking spot and headed toward Mercy General.

"I think I could run a locomotive," Elliot scoffed. "I'm so pissed at Fin, baby, I mean what the hell is he trying to pull?"

"He's trying to get to you," Olivia said, shrugging. "Trying to get to us, and you can't let him see that it's working. You gotta stay calm, ignore him."

"Ignore him?" Elliot said, shocked. "Baby, he did everything but pee in the coffeepot!"

Olivia laughed. "It might be an improvement, El," she chuckled, referring to Munch's coffee.

Elliot chuckled, then, shaking his head. It felt good to break the tension.

* * *

"Okay," Simon said, pouring two more glasses of wine, "Tell me something really embarrassing about him, that I could tell Olivia, that she could bring up if they ever break up."

"They won't break up," Kathy said, raising her glass, "But, uh, the last time we were really, um, intimate...if that's even the word for it considering it was the least intimate experience of my life, he was mumbling her name. Softly, very softly. He didn't even know he was doing it."

"That had to suck," Simon chuckled.

"Not really," Kathy said, furrowing her brow. "I knew he was gone. I knew he loved her. And his subconscious did, too. He just needed to open his eyes."

Simon nodded, swallowing his wine. "What about you?"

"I have never moaned Olivia's name during sex," Kathy said, flatly.

Simon laughed hard and shook his head. "No, no, I meant, tell me something embarrassing about yourself."

Kathy smirked. "I knew what you meant, Simon. I was avoiding the question. Tell me, why are we here? This is the fourth lunch we've had together this week. Not counting that one two weeks ago with those people you wanted me to meet."

"I like your company," Simon said. "I like...you. I'm not too sure how dating my sister's boyfriend's ex-wife is going to..."

"Are you suggesting that we're dating?" Kathy asked, scrunching up her face in confusion.

"Well," Simon began, "I've paid each time, there's always been wine and flowers, and unless you're a part time tonsil inspector, we've been kissing. So yes. These have been dates. I think we're dating."

Kathy took a long swig of her wine, hoping that Olivia and Elliot would forgive her for what she was about to do. "Okay," she said, dropping her glass. "We're dating."

* * *

"Watch your head, baby," Elliot groaned, reaching up to place his hand between her head and the roof of the car.

Olivia bit her bottom lip and nodded, moaning as she moved her hips. "You pulled me on top of you," she whispered, "And this is very small car."

Elliot chuckled, thrusting his hips upward, pushing down, bringing her head toward his. "Stay down here, baby, and you'll be fine." He held her down, tightly, and hit into her, hard.

Olivia yelped and bit down on his suit-covered shoulder.

"Shit, baby," Elliot growled, trying to move up harder and faster. He felt Olivia rolling her hips over his, sliding on and off of him faster, as she let go of his shoulder and moved up, kissing and sucking on his neck. "Jesus Christ, Liv," he moaned, sounding pained.

"We told, oh, God, El, Cragen that we'd be back in an hour," Olivia garbled against his skin. "We dropped off the rape kit forty-five minutes ago," she said through her kisses.

Elliot growled as he grabbed her hips with both hands and held her down so he could slam into her. "What's your point?" he asked harshly.

Olivia threw her head back, barely missing the roof of the car. "Oh, Elliot," she moaned. Her head dropped, her eyes met his, and she saw the fire in them. "Oh, God," she gasped, clenching around him, feeling her entire body tensing.

"Yeah, baby," Elliot said, still moving hard and fast, pulling her back down. One hand rested at the small of her back as the other wound around the back of her neck. He kissed her, deeply, soulfully, and they both moaned very loudly into each other's mouth. Olivia clamped down hard, Elliot spilled into her, and it took everything he had to stop moving. He kept thrusting until he knew it was verging on painful for her, until was, in fact, painful for him, but he didn't want to stop. He kissed her softly as he stopped and stilled, soothing her hair back, caressing her back and bare ass lovingly. "We're late," he whispered, smirking, kissing her.

Olivia nodded. "I know," she whispered back. "What the hell was this, Elliot?" she asked, leaning up, peering down at him.

Elliot picked his head up again, capturing her lips. He winked at her as he shifted his wait, pushing her gently off of him, as he said, "Blowing off steam."

**A/N: Does Fin really know what happened in Cragen's office? What's going on with him? What's become of his case with Cassidy, and who are the new suspects in that case? Will Olivia and Elliot mind Simon dating Kathy, and who did they have dinner with two weeks ago? If you want it, clicky the button! Thank you all for sticking by me through this rough time in my life. I will be here for you, just as you have all been here for me! **


	17. Plans

**A/N: Fin refuses a suggestion from a friend, proving how far he's ready to go to screw with Elliot and Olivia. And Cassidy's case takes an odd turn, after he gets his badge back. But how? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns this story. Every little piece of it.**

"Really?" Olivia asked into the phone, smirking. "Well, thank you for the, Simon. Tonight? I'll have to ask Elliot, but it shouldn't be a problem. Bye." She hung up and signed her last DD-Five of the evening, then looked at Elliot, folding her arms. "Liar," she said.

"What?" Elliot asked. "I've never lied to you!"

Olivia smirked. "You told me that you'd never even thought about me in any capacity other than your best friend and partner until Kathy pointed out that you were in love with me."

"I didn't!" Elliot said. "I mean, I did, but I didn't _know_ I did. I was trying very hard not to realize it, actually."

"You called out my name when you were having sex with your wife," Olivia said, bluntly. "Simon called. Kathy told him. Over dinner."

"Your brother had dinner with my ex-wife? That's not weird at all," Elliot said sarcastically, rasing an eyebrow.

"Don't change the subject," Olivia said, still smirking. "Well? Care to explain?"

"Liv," Elliot sighed. running a hand down his face, "If I did, I didn't know I was doing it. I was...oh, God," he gasped, realizing. "Yeah, no, I remember now. I was...I guess I was seeing you."

Olivia chuckled. "Seeing me?"

"Like, you were there with me, not her," Elliot admitted. "I had my eyes closed and I was picturing you. I didn't even...well, shit, this is kind of embarrassing. Worse than opening night of Bye Bye Birdie."

"Why? You know how happy that makes me?" Olivia asked, her smirk now slightly evil.

Elliot smirked back at her. "Really? How happy, baby?" he asked, kicking back in his chair.

"Incredibly happy," Olivia said, getting out of her chair. "We're both done with our paperwork, El. Before midnight. We can actually get out of here on time."

"For the first time, in, like, five years," Elliot said. "We should get up, slowly, no sudden moves. Someone will..."

"Benson, Stabler," Cragen said, walking over to them.

"See?" Elliot said, sighing.

Cragen furrowed his brow. "See what?"

"Nothing, Cap. What's up?" Olivia asked, shooting a small glare to Elliot, who chuckled at her.

Cragen raised an eyebrow. "Brian Cassidy," he said. "He's coming back. The drug tests he was subjected to were tampered with, he was clean. Tucker handed him his badge and gun, and he wants back at SVU. I gave the okay, he'll be here for a two week trial," he explained. "He can help with this internet case."

Elliot looked at Olivia, then back at Cragen. "Thanks, a lot, Cap. Is this, what, a warning?"

"No," Cragen said. "I need you two to keep Cassidy and Fin apart. If you see them doing anything..."

"Yeah, Cap," Olivia said, grabbing her jacket. "Got it."

"Thanks," Cragen said with a nod. "You two can get outta here. Have a good night."

Elliot looked at Olivia, held out his hand, and pulled her out of the squadroom. He couldn't wait to get her home.

They walked through the darkened building, out the doors, and took their black sedan home to their house. Olivia smirked as she thought of it. Their house. Together. The drive was quiet, and the first thing Elliot did was check on his kids, as Olivia changed and crawled into bed.

"They're all asleep," Elliot said, stepping into the bedroom. He crawled over Olivia, tugged the book out of her hands, and pulled down the blanket.

"I was reading that," Olivia told him, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot shrugged, dropped his head, and kissed Olivia's neck. "And now you're not," he mumbled. He ran his hands under her long tee shirt, down into her panties.

"El," Olivia gasped, tossing her head back. "You just said the kids were asleep..."

"Yeah," Elliot chuckled, sliding his fingers into her. She moaned and he said, "So just be quiet. I know how quiet you can be, baby."

Olivia smirked. "You son of a bitch," she mumbled, pressing her lips to his chin.

Elliot pulled his fingers away from her and grabbed hold of the cotton briefs, pulling them down, sliding them off of her. He helped her sit up, helped her take off his shirt, then pulled her own over her head. He leaned forward, easing her back flat, and he kissed her, reaching out a hand to dim the light. "I love you," he whispered to her. He caressed her body as she pushed his sweatpants down, and he held on to her hips, kissing her as he entered her slowly, keeping her quiet.

* * *

"Well, if it isn't the king of the fuckin' world, and his fair queen," Fin spat harshly as Olivia and Elliot walked into the squadroom the following morning.

"Fin," Elliot said, chugging back his coffee, "I'm not in the mood."

"You two are late," Cassidy said, smirking. "Rough night?"

Olivia rubbed her eyes. "Morning, Cassidy," she said, being civil. "No, it was a rough morning."

"What'd you two do?" Fin asked. "Fuck in the car?"

Elliot turned and seethed, "Knock it the fuck off, Fin!" He stepped forward and pulled Fin out of his chair by his collar. He held him up by the throat and squeezed a bit, smirking when Fin's eyes popped. "I've had it with your mouth and your shit. You're never gonna get Liv, so get the fuck over it and move on your life! Just leave us the hell alone!"

"Stabler," Cragen's voice warned, "Put him down."

Elliot, still gritting his teeth and glaring, dropped Fin to the floor.

"You and Olivia have a vic. Mercy General. Go," Cragen said, tossing the pink slip to Olivia as they left.

Cassidy laughed. "I missed this place," he said, sitting in the new desk that had been brought in. "Fin, uh, I suggest you either make a real move on her or forget all about it. Those are your only options."

"Yeah," Fin said, brushing his shirt off. "I know. Look, uh, I'm sorry about tryin' to set you up. You shot me."

"I had orders, man," Cassidy said. "Got it all cleared up, though, and the right man is in jail."

Fin nodded. "There's still some punk puttin' these pictures on the net using a Narc ID, though," he said. "Maybe we cna, uh, put our personal shit aside and do the job?"

"Depends," Cassidy said. "Can you do the same for Olivia and Elliot?"

"Doubt it," Fin said, narrowing his eyes. "That's different," he argued.

Cassidy sipped his coffee. "Like I said, make your move or let it go, but be prepared to face some pretty harsh consequences if you move in on her. She'll hurt you, then he'll kill you."

"You speak from experience, don't you?" Fin asked, laughing.

"She was interrogating me," Cassidy said, shrugging. "You told me they broke up, you ass, so I tried to kiss her. I got her fist in my face and Elliot kneed me in the stomach. So, yeah, I do." He leaned over and asked, "What's it really about? Do you love her or do just wanna...I'm not gonna lie, she's fucking fantastic, but is she worth destroying Elliot's life over?"

Fin shrugged. "He's only gettin' what's been comin' to him for a while now," he said. "Walkin' around here like he owns the goddamned place, all the shit he's pulled and he's still got his shield, and now he's got her, too. It ain't right, man., He's gotta face some consequences."

Cassidy shook his head and sighed. "Keep it up, Fin, and you'll be the one facing consequences."

"As long he's payin' for it, too," Fin said, "That's fine by me."

Cassidy rolled his eyes. "You never answered my question."

"It's not about her anymore, man," Fin admitted. "I'm not out for her. I'm out for blood."

* * *

Olivia and Elliot came back an hour later, to an empty squadroom. Elliot looked at Olivia, smirking. "No," she said, shaking her head and laughing. "Cut it out."

"Liv, baby, no one is here," Elliot said, stepping closer. "We're having dinner with my ex-wife and your brother, and I don't know how into watching us getting frisky they're gonna be, so this might be our only chance until we get home."

Olivia chuckled again and backed up, playfully smacking his arm. "No, El. Not here."

"Yeah, I don't wanna see that," Cassidy said, entering the room. "Your vic talk?" he asked, once Olivia and Elliot turned to face him.

Elliot moved away from Olivia slightly and said, "Yeah, she did. We got a full statement. You find anyone else with that password?"

"Yeah, a couple of guys, including Captain Valenti. Munch and Fin are at the Two-Nine, talking to them. You might wanna watch out for him, by the way."

"Who?" Olivia asked. "Valenti?"

"No. Fin," Cassidy said, handing them each a cup of coffee. "He's not gonna stop pushing your buttons, Stabler, and now it's got nothing to do with Olivia."

Elliot nodded in thanks for the coffee, then asked, "How do you know?"

"We talked," Cassidy shrugged. "He's got plans. Big ones. And I'm only telling you because, unlike him, I actually care about you two. Always have. Seriously, I didn't know you were still together when I kissed..."

"I know you didn't," Elliot said. "What's he gonna do?"

Cassidy looked around, and when he was sure no one was listening, he said, "He's gonna sabotage your cases, he's gonna plant things around here to make you think Olivia's sleeping with someone else, and he's gonna try, when he gets her alone, to get with her. He's gone completely off the deep end, because he's jealous."

Olivia gasped. "Great," she said, sipping her coffee. She stepped forward and grabbed Elliot's hand. "What do you suggest we do?" she asked, loving that Elliot wrapped his arm around her waist, still holding her hand, protecting her from non-existent danger.

"Hurt him before he hurts you," Cassidy said. "Set him up before he can set you up."

"We can't do that," Olivia said.

Cassidy smiled and laughed. "I know you can't, Olivia. I know you two, and you're both too damn moral to stoop to his level, so I got someone in mind who's just as much of an ass as he is, who'd be willing to do it all for you."

Elliot glanced at Olivia, then turned back to Cassidy. "Who?" he asked, his eyes narrow.

Cassidy sipped his coffee, gave them both a cocky grin, and said, "Me."

**A/N: What does Cassidy do to Fin? How does Olivia and Elliot's dinner with Simon and Kathy go? What do they find out about that odd couple? And when the kids make a suggestion to their father, does he take the hint? Click and review for more! Follow TMG212 on Twitter and request/suggest there, too. =) Thanks for reading!**


	18. Crises

**A/N: Dinner with Simon and Kathy leads to an interesting conversation. Fin's plan is foiled by Cassidy, and the kids make a suggestion. Does Elliot take it?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs, completely, to TStabler**

"So, tell me about how you met Olivia," Simon suggested, sliding a forkful of salad into his mouth. He already knew how they met, but it was typical dinner conversation.

"You mean the first time?" Elliot asked, "Or the time that mattered?"

Simon dropped his fork in confusion, and Olivia looked at him, befuddled. "Um, the first time," Simon said, shrugging.

"Okay," Elliot said, chewing and swallowing. "I think it was, maybe, three years before we were partners. Before Liv was even a detective. I was called to a crime scene in Bayside, and I saw her, in her uniform, and I died. She was so...God, 'hot' is the only word for it. It was hard to concentrate on my job because I had this insane desire to meet her, talk to her. I took a few witness statements, then walked over to her. I was interrupting her, but I didn't care. I held out my hand, gave her my best 'please ignore my wedding ring' smile, and she said..."

"We're at a fucking crime scene, asshole," Olivia said, stunned, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Shit, that was you?"

Elliot chuckled. "I honestly didn't remember until you said the same thing to Trevor three months ago," he said, picking up spaghetti, twirling it around his fork.

"I spent the better part of a year feeling horrible for calling you an asshole!" Olivia chuckled. "I thought I was gonna get fired or something for backtalking a superior officer, then I got my gold shield and completely forgot all about it," she explained, still smirking at Elliot.

Kathy narrowed her eyes. "You were trying to...you were gonna cheat..."

"No," Elliot said, stopping her. "It would have never gotten that far, I just had this desperate desire to meet her."

Kathy scoffed and shook her head. "And when you actually met her, Elliot? Were you planning to let it go that far, then?"

"Fuck, Kathy," Elliot groaned, rolling his eyes, "No! I didn't make any moves on her until we signed the...until we were completely over. But I realize now, that I wanted to for a lot longer than I had imagined. I'm just being honest."

Kathy sipped her wine, and shook her head again. "I liked it better when you lied to me."

"Yeah, well, I liked it better when you ignored me," Elliot retorted.

"Hey!" Simon yelled. "Will you get over it, already? Kathy, you're here with me. Elliot's here with Olivia. We're having a nice dinner. Your relationship with him is in the past, can we leave it there?"

Kathy took a breath and nodded.

"Thank you," Simon said, sighing. "Olivia, more wine?"

"No, thanks," Olivia said, tapping a finger on her still-full glass. "I'm not really a..."

"She isn't a big drinker," Elliot said. "And when she does she only drinks red wine. Or whiskey. Shots. On the rocks, sometimes. Sometimes she'll drink beer. But wine is always red with her. I would have told you, but I didn't know you were getting wine."

Kathy laughed. "You know what kind of wine she likes? You know what she drinks, Elliot? You couldn't remember my drink of choice in all the years..."

"Kathy," Simon scolded. "Cut it out. I happen to think it's sweet. Where did you go on your first date?"

"DiNardi's," Kathy scoffed.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Technically it was a bar," he said with a chuckle. "But yes, our first actual date was at DiNardi's."

"And?" Simon prodded, wanting details.

"And," Olivia said, "It was really nice. Perfect. A bit emotional but..."

"Did you kiss?" Simon asked, leaning his head on his chin, smiling.

Elliot chuckled, Olivia ran her hand down her face. "Yes," Elliot said, smiling. "That first kiss was..."

"I don't really think we should be talking about this," Olivia said, suddenly chugging back her wine. She coughed and made a face.

"I'd like to hear it," Kathy said, trying to smile.

Elliot sipped his wine, then said, "Imagine every question you have ever had about life, God, and the universe, all being answered at once. Imagine feeling your body and your soul splitting apart and feeling them splicing together with the one that you're kissing. Imagine that, then multiply it all by a thousand." He sipped his wine again, and cleared his throat. "That's what that kiss was. At least, for me."

Olivia looked at him, astonished. "I thought it was just me," she whispered.

Elliot took her hand and smiled at her, his eyes closing in relief, and he sighed. He opened his eyes and looked at her softly, whispering, "Nope."

Kathy looked at them and her heart thudded. He had never looked at her like that, he'd never talked about her the way he talked about Olivia, and he certainly had never felt anything like that kiss with her. "You...this is beyond...wow," she expressed, sipping her wine.

"What?" Simon asked, looking at Kathy.

"I knew you were in love with her," Kathy said. "Elliot, but I didn't think it was like that."

Elliot caressed Olivia's hand, and then leaned over, nuzzling her nose. "She's the love of my fucking life, Kathy. You made me realize it. I can't thank you enough for that." He pressed his lips to Olivia's and wrapped his other hand around her neck.

Kathy gulped back the rest of her wine. "Yeah," she said, watching them kiss. "You're welcome."

Simon looked at his sister, saw the intense love in her eyes, and said, "Hey, Olivia, I think you two are great together. I think you could be together for the rest of your lives."

Elliot chuckled, turned to Olivia, and said, "That's a good suggestion, baby. What are you doing with the rest of your life?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Spending it with you, you cheese ball."

Kathy rolled her eyes, too, and poured herself another glass of wine. She was going to need it.

* * *

"Fin!" Cragen yelled, coming out of his office, clearly pissed off, "What the hell happened with the Bratman file?"

"What?" Fin questioned. "Bratman? Wasn't that Benson and Stabler?"

"Yeah," Cragen said, "They got the confession, filled out the 'five, and Cassidy told me you were double-checking it today. Now none of the data's right and the confession's gone! What the hell did you..."

"Cassidy what?" Fin yelled. "Sir, I didn't touch that damn file. Maybe you should be yelling at Stabler, ya know? He isn't perfect, he coulda fucked it all up."

"They had the night off! Neither one of them has been in this building since three this afternoon! You logged onto the computer and accessed that file three hours ago," Cragen said, folding his arms, "And we've got video surveillance in the squadroom. If I check, am I gonna find you rifling through Stabler's desk?"

Fin blinked. "No," he said, turning to look at Munch. "Tell him, bro."

"Don't look at me," Munch said. "I'm not getting in the middle here. I'm staying out of it."

Cragen shook his head. "I want the confession found, put back in the damn file, and I want all of the missing information re-typed before you leave, or you're out on your ass Tutuola. Get me?"

"I got you," Fin snapped. "I don't understand you, but I got you," he complained.

Cragen threw the file at Fin, nodded gruffly, and walked back into his office.

"Cassidy," Fin barked. "What the hell? You went to Cragen?"

Cassidy simply smirked and sipped his coffee. "The fun has only just begun, Fin," he said. "Wait until tomorrow."

* * *

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be," Elliot said, hanging up his coat on the rack.

"Um, your ex-wife asked me how many times I came the first time we had sex," Olivia said, folding her arms. "That wasn't bad?"

"No," Elliot said. "Did you see the look on her face when you answered her?" he laughed. "And when she asked you if you ever got tired of being on the bottom..."

"I had to tell her that we change positions so often, I really don't mind the break you give me when you flatten me out," Olivia said, smirking.

"She's still a little jealous," Elliot said. "But it could be worse. Ya know? She could be really awful. She was actually nice after her fourth glass of wine."

Olivia laughed. "I think she forgot who we were at that point."

"Baby," Elliot said, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her, "When I was telling her about our first kiss, you know that's how I feel every time I kiss you, right?"

Before Olivia could answer him, they heart feet running down the stairs.

"You're home!" Dickie cried. "Thank God! Maureen's been hitting me for the past hour!"

"Dickwad broke the computer!" Maureen yelled. "I have to finish my essays for college!"

Kathleen held up a towel, covered in green, fuzzy, slimy goo. "Lizzie's science experiment exploded all over my bed!"

Lizzie threw her father a box, watching him catch it, and said, "You have to give that to Olivia before we all die of old age!"

"Slow down," Elliot said, ignoring the box in his hand. "Dickie, how did you break the computer?"

Dickie bit his bottom lip. "I inherited your temper," he said. "And strength, apparently."

"How strong could you be? You're eleven!" Olivia exclaimed.

Maureen held up half of the flat-screen monitor and raised an eyebrow.

"Damn," Olivia said, smirking. "You are your father's son."

Elliot rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Okay, Mo, how close were you to finishing your college essays?"

"Uh, well," Maureen stammered, biting her lip, too.

"She didn't even start them!" Kathleen yelled.

Elliot sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Okay, Lizzie, honey, what was that green muck, exactly? And why was it anywhere near Katie's bed?"

Lizzie looked up at the ceiling. "It was homegrown penicillin, and it needed to be in a cool, dark place with an altitude equivalent to the second floor of this house! Kathleen's nightstand is under the air conditioning vent!"

"Did you ask her if you could put it there?" Olivia questioned.

Lizzie sighed and shook her head.

"Apologize," Olivia said.

"Sorry," Lizzie muttered, barely looking at Kathleen.

Kathleen looked down at her little sister. "Whatever," she said. "Worm."

"So, we'll go tomorrow and get a new computer," Elliot said. "Then you are spending all weekend on those essays, young lady," he affirmed, pointing at Maureen.

"Katie, honey," Olivia said, "Upstairs in our bedroom closet, there's a whole new bed-set from my old apartment. It'll fit on your bed. Take it."

"Thanks," Kathleen said.

"Is that everything?" Elliot asked. "No more family crises?"

His four children folded their arms and smirked. "Just that," Lizzie said, pointing to the box he had clutched in his hand.

Elliot looked down, realizing what it was. "Where did you get this?" he asked, flummoxed.

"I found it in the linen closet when I was looking for a towel to clean up the green crap in my room," Kathleen said.

Dickie smirked. "We weren't really sure what you were waiting for, so we figured we'd make you do it now."

"You don't have to," Maureen said, smiling, "It's just a suggestion."

Elliot turned the box over in his hand and cleared his throat. "I had this all planned, ya know," he said, "But now that she's right next to me, giving me that look," he paused, "and now her eyes just widened because I'm not even looking at her and I know what look she was giving me, I have no choice, do I?"

"Nope," Lizzie said, grinning.

Elliot took a deep breath and turned around, looking at Olivia. "Okay, so, uh, here it is," he said. "I think it's pretty damn clear how hopelessly in love I am with you. It just...took a little push to get me to admit it. Now that I have, and now that I know you feel exactly the same way, well, I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose you. Ever. And I, uh, shit, I had a whole speech prepared and now I can't think of anything to say that's not gonna sound stupid and cheesy."

"I told you," Olivia said, taking his hand, "I like cheesy."

"Okay, cheese it is," Elliot said, smirking at her. He took another breath and said, "You complete me, Liv. You are the light of my life, you are my somewhere over the fucking rainbow, you make me feel brand new, when I'm with you I know I'm alive because I can feel my heartbeat. How am I doing?"

Olivia felt the tear running down her cheek as she said, "You're doing good, Stabler."

"Extra cheese," Elliot said, heaving a sigh as he dropped to his knee in front of her. He held out the box and said, "I'm gonna ask you a question, Liv. You can say no, but that would kind of suck."

Olivia chuckled as more tears built up and fell.

Elliot shook his head quickly, breathing, and pulled her hand closer to his body. "What are you doing with the rest of your life, Olivia Benson?" He flipped the box open and looked up at her.

Olivia smiled through her tears and dropped to her knees in front of him. She pulled her hand out of his and cupped his face, and she leaned in close to kiss him as she said, "Spending it with you, Elliot Stabler." She kissed him and felt him relax, felt the weight of the world float off of his shoulders. And as she pulled back, she nuzzled his nose and whispered, "You cheese ball."

Elliot chuckled and sniffled, unashamed that he had begun to cry. He took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. "You said you like cheesy," he said, sniffling again.

"No," Olivia said, leaning in again. "I love it."

The four Stabler kids looked on as their father and Olivia kissed, and they high-fived, feeling proud of themselves for making a bold suggestion, and happy that their father had taken it.

There were, however, a few people who weren't going to be so happy, but Elliot and Olivia would soon suggest they get over it.

**A/N: Who won't be happy? What will Olivia and Elliot do about it? Cassidy and Fin go head-to-head, and Fin is not Cassidy's only target! And a surprise visit from someone...well...surprising! Review for more! Tweet at TMG212 on Twitter, too!**


	19. Side Effects

**A/N: Getting engaged has side-effects. Suggestive ones. I apologize for the shortness of the chapters I'll post this week. I'm on vacation, and don't have the time I normally do to write. I do what I can ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and related characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story. She shares it with you, in hopes you will be entertained, possibly inspired to leave a review or comment, and maybe follow her on Twitter TMG212**

Olivia was trying to concentrate on the story the woman whom she was sitting in front of was telling her, but she was doing the same thing she'd been doing all day: staring at the ring on her finger.

Everything the platinum banded diamond suggested both scared and thrilled her. She was engaged. To her partner, her best friend, her Elliot, who had to twist her arm in order to get her to agree to give an actual relationship an actual chance. He was married, happily, until his wife brought the fact that he was in love with his partner, her, to his attention.

Right now, he was the one writing down the facts and the details that Olivia was completely ignoring. "Friday, that's it?"

"That was the last time I saw her," the woman said, sobbing. "You're gonna get the man who did this, right?" She asked with a sniffle.

Elliot nodded.

"Who did what?" Olivia asked, looking up from her hand. "Oh! Yes, Miss Donovan. We are. I promise."

The woman smiled sadly. "You must love him very much," she said, nodding at the gorgeous ring.

Olivia looked stunned, as if she'd been caught cheating on a test. "Yes," she said. "I do."

The woman laughed. "I still look at my ring like that, and I've been enganged for six months. He's, uh, he's in Iraq. Please. Find the man who did this to Ashley. Get the man who killed my sister."

"We will do everything we can, Miss Donovan," Elliot said, getting off the couch. Olivia did the same, nodding at the distraught woman and walking with Elliot to the door.

They left, walked to the car, got in, and began the quick drive back to the station.

Elliot looked over at Olivia, smirking, and said, "You really do love the guy, don't you?"

Olivia laughed "I said 'Yes' didn't I?" she responded. "Are we really getting married?"

"As soon as possible," Elliot said, nodding. "The faster we do it, the harder it'll be for you to..."

"I'm not going anywhere, El," Olivia interrupted. "If I was gonna run from this, I would have done it already."

Elliot raised an eyebrow at her as he turned the steering wheel. "Well, you usually..."

"Usually," Olivia interrupted again, "The men I'm running from aren't you." She smirked and said, "That's probably why I was running."

"Probably?" Elliot asked, a knowing look on his face.

Olivia chuckled. "Well, Dean was an obnoxious, pompous, know-it-all. Kurt was arrogant and wanted to move way too fast, Andy had a death wish...but those faults...if I was really in love, I would have looked passed them. If they had been you, El, I wouldn't have even seen them. Those were all just excuses to run, because they weren't you."

Elliot pulled into his spot, turned the key, and looked at Olivia. "Ya know," he said, shaking his head, "We get woken up at three in the fucking morning the morning after we get engaged, get called to probably the bloodiest crime scene we've scene since we've been partners, you space on on the family disclosure and interview and leave me to do it myself, so far, babe, this day has been shit. Then you tell me that, and it becomes the fourth greatest day of my life."

Olivia furrowed her brow. "Fourth?" she questioned.

"The first, was the night at DiNardi's, when you kissed me and told me you loved me, the second was last night when you looked me in the eyes and promised to marry me, the third was the first time we made love," Elliot explained. "You just made today the fourth. I'm thrilled, baby, knowing that I was always the one."

"It took a while, El," Olivia said, honestly. "But once you had me, there was no hope. I was yours, completely."

"Thank God for that," Elliot whispered, leaning over and kissing her. "I'm never letting you go, you know that, don't you?"

Olivia laughed, kissed him, and opened her door. "I wouldn't have it any other way, El."

* * *

Fin and Cassidy were already yelling at each other when Olivia and Elliot walked into the bullpen. Cragen was trying to pull them apart and got knocked in the jaw. That's when Elliot and Olivia stepped in. Elliot grabbed Cassidy, who struggled but calmed down. Fin, however, turned toward Olivia and smirked. No one saw what happened but everyone saw him fly across the room.

"Asshole!" Olivia spat. "I was trying to save you from getting your badge shoved up your ass by Tucker, but I think I'll do it myself!" She lunged for him, but Elliot stepped in front of her and held her back.

"What did he do?" Elliot asked, squeezing her. She was putting up a hell of a fight. "Stop moving, damn it! Calm down! Tell me what he did to you!"

Olivia turned around in his arms, looked him in the eyes, and said, "He grabbed me, Elliot. The fucker fucking felt me up!"

Elliot's eyes flashed in pure, vile anger. "What?" he asked. "Where?"

"I'm a special victim," Olivia said, narrowing her eyes. "I have to burn these pants now!"

"Oh, come off it, Benson," Fin chuckled, finally getting to his feet. "You loved it."

Elliot pushed Olivia to the side and glared at Fin. "The only one who touches her, anywhere, ever, is me. Do you get that?" He grabbed Fin's collar, raised him off of the ground, and slammed him into the wall.

"Stabler!" Cragen yelled. "Put him down!"

"Cap," Elliot yelled, "You heard Liv! He..."

"I know," Cragen barked. "I'll handle it, let him go!"

Olivia was pulled into Cassidy's arms, comfortingly, as they all watched the scene unfold before them.

Fin glared back at Elliot. "I don't see a ring on her finger, Stabler," he said. "She ain't yours, yet."

"Look harder," Elliot spat, dropping him.

Fin raised an eyebrow as he picked himself up for the second time. He shot Olivia a look, then ran his eyes over her body, landing on her left hand. "Holy shit," he gasped. His eyes darted back toward Elliot. "When?"

"Last night," Elliot said, walking backward, taking possesion of Olivia from Cassidy, nodding his thanks.

Cragen smirked. "Congratulations," he said. He gave them each a hug, then sighed. He tilted his head, shrugged, and said, "You two are needed at the morgue. Warner has something for you."

Elliot and Olivia nodded and left, then Cragen shot Cassidy a stern look. "Take your partner out for a cup of coffee," he said.

"Cap," Cassidy said as he looked at Munch, "I don't..."

"It wasn't a suggestion, Cassidy!" Cragen yelled.

Cassidy grabbed his jacket pulled Munch out the door by his sleeve.

Cragen took a step toward Fin and cracked his knuckles. "You just assaulted a police officer. Not just any police officer, but Olivia. Do you know what that means?"

Fin shrugged. "Means I know why we never see panty lines," he said with a smirk.

Cragen didn't laugh. He didn't smile. "No," he said. "It means, you're about to pay, dearly." He reached over and grabbed the phone, dialed a number, and waited. "Ed," he said, "You need to come up here. Yeah. Lock the door behind you, huh? We'll be in the box." He hung up, grabbed Fin by the arm, and led him into the interrogation room.

Fin's eyes went wide. He didn't like the way that conversation sounded. Not at all.

**A/N: What's gonna happen in that room? What's up with Cragen and Tucker ganging up on Fin? How soon will Elliot and Olivia get married? Like my disclaimer said, I'd love a review, comment, or Tweet. Lemme know if this story is worth continuing! **


	20. Impulses

**A/N: How soon will Elliot and Olivia get married? What happened in that room with Cragen, Tucker, and Fin? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and related characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story. She shares it with you, in hopes you will be entertained, possibly inspired to leave a review or comment, and maybe follow her on Twitter TMG212**

"Simon," Kathy shouted, throwing his shirt to him, "Get the hell up! Now!" She tried to slip the earring into her ear and slide into her heels at the same time. "Now!" she yelled again. "Why the hell are you even still here?"

"Is this how Elliot felt every morning? No wonder he left your ass," Simon mumbled, rolling over. "I don't have work today. I'm gonna..."

"You are gonna get up," Kathy said, "And get out of my house. Simon. What the hell happened last night?"

Simon chuckled and propped himself up on his elbows. "When you're drunk, you take suggestions very well."

"Why the fuck were we drinking?" Kathy asked, putting her other earring in as she hobbled to her other shoe, pulling her hair back.

Simon yawned. "You really don't remember?" he asked. He watched Kathy shake her head. "Elliot called after he and Olivia got off work. We met them and Munch and Cassidy, and some other people at Flannigan's."

"For what?" Kathy asked, her brow furrowed as she clasped her watch around her wrist.

"Shit, Kathy," Simon said. "You must have really been wasted. They're engaged," he said.

Kathy froze. Her head slowly turned up toward his. "Who is?" she asked.

"Olivia and Elliot," Simon said, shaking his head and chuckling. "You were pretty damn happy for them last night, all the shots you kept buying everyone, and now you don't remember?"

Kathy closed her eyes and braced herself against the wall, feeling dizzy. She wasn't sure if it was from the hangover or the shock of the news, but she was gonna be sick.

* * *

Olivia blinked her eyes open, yawning and stretching. She flung the covers off of herself and sat up, making her way out of the bed and into the bathroom. She ran a hand down her face, and groggily tried to open the medicine cabinet. She groaned as it wouldn't budge. "Damn it," she mumbled, not opening her eyes. She smacked the mirror and heard Elliot laugh from the doorway.

"Were you having that dream where you still live in your apartment and aren't with me, again?" Elliot asked, opening a cabinet beneath the sink and handing her the toothpaste.

Olivia's eyes opened wide and she looked him up and down, and she smirked as he stood before him in all his naked glory, unashamed and unconcerned. She nodded as she watched him move and wrap his arms around her. He moved her hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck as she grabbed her toothbrush out of the holder on the sink and saw the ring glittering back at her. She furrowed her brow and smirked. "What are we doing today?"

Elliot nibbled the back of her ear lightly. "Church. You can...you don't have to go...then, nothing," he told her. "Why?"

"No, it's okay, I'll go," Olivia told him, looking at him through his reflection in the mirror. "Why don't you and I take the kids out to Long Beach, though? Maybe see your mom?"

Elliot blinked. "What? Why?"

Olivia squeezed a bit of toothpaste on her brush and started brushing, and through her foaming mouth she mumbled, "And there's that cute little chapel on the beach."

"Liv, what exactly are you suggesting?" Elliot asked, tilting his head.

Olivia brushed faster, staring into his eyes in the mirror harder. She pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth and spit into the sink, then turned, facing him. The real him. "El," she sighed, her minty breath cascading over him, "Last night, after we came home, you asked me if I was still sure of what kind of wedding I wanted."

"Yeah, you said yes," Elliot said, nodding. "I remember, you want small, intimate, just fami...woah, you want to get married today?"

Olivia smirked. "You shouldn't get to be the spontaneous one all the time," she said with a shrug.

"Are you serious?" Elliot asked, his eyes wide, his lips caught between a smile and a round shape.

"We'll drive out to your mother's, call your brother and sisters, I'll call Cragen," Olivia said, biting her lip. "El, why should we wait? We've been together long enough to know that...I'm not gonna change my mind, and judging by the size of this rock, neither are you. We can have a huge reception for everyone in a few months, but this part...let's just keep it quiet," she offered, looking into his eyes.

Elliot smirked in realization. "Is that what this is about?" he asked with a chuckle. "You don't want the big wedding, you don't want to be the center of attention, everyone making a huge fuss over you."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I don't want to be in a five thousand dollar dress and two thousand dollar shoes that I will only wear once. I don't want to walk down the aisle, stepping on seven hundred dollar flowers. I don't want six hundred people I barely know to congratulate me, and dance with me, keeping me from eating the food I paid ten grand for while I don't sit in the chair I paid twelve grand not to be sitting in." She sighed and laughed. "Most importantly, I don't want to wait six months to a year to plan it all, fighting with you about it, when we could just as easily get married now, for fifty bucks, on the beach. We talked about this, a long time ago, El."

Elliot brushed her hair back and kissed her. "I know we did, Liv, and I know what you want. If this isn't gonna be too fast for you..."

"Fast?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Elliot, if you moved any slower, Lizzie would have been planning her wedding before me!"

Elliot chuckled. "Liv, we've only been engaged for two days! Not even."

"We've been together for a year," Olivia said, looking down and away from him. "Today. It's been a year since you set me up on a blind date with...you and convinced me you were worth risking everything, and, goddamn it, Elliot you still are."

"I know what day it is," Elliot said, interrupting her, cupping her chin and bringing her face back up to his. "Why the beach?"

Olivia's lips twisted and pursed and she slumped to the side, shifting all of her weight to the left. "It's only fair," she said.

"What is?" Elliot asked, caressing her cheek.

"If we get married out by your mother's, we can leave the kids with her and your brother, and..." she paused, sighing. "Since I got Cragen's desk..."

Elliot smirked, his eyes twinkling at her. "You want me to...my beach...tonight would be..."

"Our anniversary, and you said it needed to be our wedding night," Olivia mumbled, rolling her eyes. "You think this is stupid."

"Liv," Elliot said, kissing her again, "I think that's the best suggestion I've heard since...well, your last one. Let's do it," he told her.

"Really?" Olivia asked, her eyes wide. She had never expected him to agree to it.

"You said it yourself, baby. We know this is what we want," Elliot said. "Waiting is stupid. Neither of us wants the huge wedding, we can have a big party later. And what better moment, what better night, than tonight, on the beach? All because you want me to live out yet another fantasy." He gave her a deeper kiss and pulled away, pecking her nose. "I don't think it's possible for someone to love anyone any more than I love you, baby."

Olivia smiled at him as she wriggled out of his arms, and Elliot sighed watching her leave the bathroom. In less than twelve hours, if they could pull it off, she would be his wife.

* * *

"Don," Ed Tucker said, yawning, pointing to the vibrating phone on the metal table, "It's ringing."

Cragen let Fin's collar go and he reached for the phone. He picked it up and answered, his voice hoarse and scratchy from asking Fin questions and yelling at him all night. "What?" he asked throatily. "No, no, I'm not...I'm just surprised. What time?"

Fin's eyes, red, swollen, and half-crossed, drifted shut and his head lolled, dropping to the desk.

Tucked pulled him up by the hair, silently scolding him.

"That sounds wonderful," Cragen said, rubbing his throat. "I will be there. Ed, too. Yeah, kid. Bye." He hung up and threw the phone down. "Badge. Gun. Now," he said, holding his hand out to Fin.

"Cap," Fin protested wearily.

"No, Fin," Cragen said. "You crossed the line, I can't protect you this time. Everything you've told me...I can't make any of it go away." He took Fin's badge and gun, and nodded toward an officer in the corner of the room. "You'll be charged with aggravated sexual assault of an officer. You know that, right?"

Fin nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"Who was on the phone?" Tucker asked, cracking his knuckles as the officer led Fin out of the interrogation.

"Elliot," Cragen said, smiling. "He and Olivia are getting married."

"We knew that," Tucker said, heading for the door.

Cragen's voice stopped Tucker, and carried through into the Pit, hitting Fin in the heart as well. "Tonight."

Fin, cuffed and in the hold of an officer, closed his eyes. He was going to miss it. He was going to miss his last chance to make her see that he could be the one. He smirked, then, and turned slowly toward the cop behind him. Where there was a will, he thought, there was a way. All it would take to make this man let him go was a very powerful suggestion.

**A/N: Why is Kathy upset? Does the cop let Fin go? If so, does he get to Olivia? Do Olivia and Elliot really get married on the beach, tonight? Review, here or on Twitter. Follow TMG212. Next chapter will answer the questions.**


	21. Vows

**A/N: What will Fin suggest to the cop holding him? Will he get to Olivia and Elliot, or will their small wedding go off without a hitch? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks**

As Fin was escorted into the transport elevator, he turned to the cop who was holding him. "Ya know," he said, smirking, "If Stabler's outta the way, that would leave an openin' in the unit."

"Outta the way?" the cop asked, annoyed. He pushed the button and eyed the other cop beside him, getting him to listen to the conversation.

"I don't want him, I want her," Fin said, dropping his voice, "But he'd come after her. I don't have much else to lose, so who's to say I won't just shoot him?"

The cop scoffed. "What the fuck are you talking about Tutuola?"

"You gimme your gun," Fin said in a whisper, "You let me go to this wedding, and you will be the next Special Victims Detective. How's that sound?"

"That sounds amazing," the cop said, smirking. "You forgot about one thing, though."

Fin narrowed his eyes as the elevator doors opened and the cop pulled him off the lift. "Cragen just canned your ass. I could just take your job." He tossed Fin into the open cage-like door, and the second cop, grinning, said, "It was a good suggestion, though. You just probably shouldn't have made it to Elliot's brother."

Fin's eyes widened as he spotted the shiny silver nametag, "Stabler," on the first officer's shirt. He cursed and then he knew. He knew that he was in a world of trouble.

* * *

"Why are we going all the way to Grandma's to go to Church, Dad?" Maureen asked, her hair blowing in the wind from the open window.

Elliot turned his head. "Shit," he mumbled. In all of the spontaneous planning, he neglected to tell the kids. "Well, uh, we're gonna go to the chapel on the beach. You guys haven't seen your aunts and uncles in a while, and it's been a few weeks since we've seen Grandma..."

"And you've always wanted to get married on the beach," Kathleen said, smirking.

"What?" Dickie and Lizzie yelped. "You're getting married?"

Olivia laughed. "Do they have Wonder Twin powers, or what?" she joked. "Uh, yeah," she said sighing with a small nod. "Just family, and please, don't...don't tell anyone that..."

"We are really in this car, on the way to your wedding?" Maureen asked. "Like, I can really call you Mom, and you're gonna be..."

"Guys," Elliot said with a chuckle, "Come on. What is this really changing? You already call her that. Last night, don't think I didn't catch you attacking her on the couch. Tickling the crap out of her, you were all calling her Mom, so..."

Dickie laughed. "Yeah," he said. "Wait, is she coming?"

"Who?" Olivia asked, curious.

"Mom," Maureen said. "I mean, the other one."

Elliot looked at Olivia. "I don't know," he said, realizing he hadn't thought about it. "You called Simon, so...probably."

* * *

"I don't care if I told them I would give them both a kidney and pay for their first fucking baby shower on Mars, Simon," Kathy yelled, her arms folded. "Whatever I said to them last night, I was drunk! I didn't mean it! Why the hell would I tell them that I would be there, and that I would pick up the damn cake?"

Simon sighed. "Of course, I mean, we didn't know it was gonna be today," he said. "But you said it, and they loved you for it, and they were so thrilled! When Olivia called me, I ordered a cake. We're going to pick it up, and we are going out Long Beach, and we are watching my sister marry your ex-husband."

Kathy ran a hand through her hair. "How wasted did I have to be to..."

"Kathy," Simon said, holding her gaze, "You pushed them together. You didn't want him anymore, and you knew he loved her. I paid you, but you knew it was all for the best. Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked. "Is it because you finally found someone who's making you happy again? And you don't want to fail and get hurt a second time?"

Kathy was trying to avoid his eyes, but she was being sucked into them. "Maybe," she whispered.

"Maybe," Simon repeated, giving her a suggestive smile. "Come on, put that dress on, and we'll go. And you'll be happy for them once you see how happy they are. Because you'll look to the man next to you and see how happy...how happy you could be," he said.

Kathy's eyes widened as she took in his words, knowing exactly what he was hinting at. "You...you know you...God, you really are her brother, aren't you?"

Simon laughed. "What makes you say that?" he asked, folding his arms.

"You have the same personality," Kathy said. "You both have jobs where you risk your damn lives, and don't get thanked for it. And you have this uncanny ability to make anyone and everyone...fall madly in love with you. No matter how hard they're trying not to." She sighed. "I understand what he was going through, now, and I understand why he was going through it."

"Falling in love?" Simon said, raising his left eyebrow, proving he was just like his sister.

Kathy smirked, grabbed her dress, and headed into the bathroom as she said, "Maybe."

* * *

Cragen pulled over into the left lane on the freeway, speeding toward his destination. "What are we gonna do about this, Ed?" he asked his passenger.

Tucker shrugged. "No clue," he said. "I wasn't even invited, why am I..."

"I meant, about Benson and Stabler. You don't seriously think I believe you're not going to force me to separate them, do you?"

Tucker smirked. "You're down a detective, Don," he said. "Right now, you can't afford to split them up."

Cragen shot Tucker a surprised look. "Are you suggesting that I..."

"I'm not suggesting anything," Tucker said, raising his hands defensively. "I'm just saying, until you have someone in Fin's seat, you've got Munch and Cassidy working together, and you've got Benson and Stabler. You really wanna see what happens when you send one of them out with Munch and the other one out with Cassidy? Or if they go out alone? You really want World War Three to start in the sqaudroom? That'd be a brilliant headline, Don. Special Victims Detective spontaneously combust from lack of..."

"Okay," Cragen chuckled. "You know their gonna wonder why you aren't taking action, don't you?"

Tucker sighed. "All you have to do to know why I'm not is listen to Stabler's interview tape, Don. That man should never be more than five feet away from Olivia."

"Tape?" Cragen asked, confused.

"From that first investigation involving Tutuola," Tucker clarified. "Benson's was emotional, but Stabler's...intense is the only word to...Don, trust me, it's better if they stay together. He'd lose more than just his job if you and I split them up."

Cragen didn't like the sound of that. Not at all. He pulled off the exit for Long Beach and said, "When we get back to the station, you know I need to hear it. Both of them, actually."

Tucker nodded. "Thought you might say that."

* * *

Elliot pulled up to the chapel, seeing his mother and two sisters outside. "Oh, here we go," he said under his breath. "Okay guys. Everyone ready for this?"

The kids cheered.

"Not really," Olivia whispered. "But I wasn't ready for a lot of things I wanted to do more than anything, so...readiness doesn't matter, El."

Elliot looked into the rearview mirror, seeing his kids getting out of the car, and he looked at Olivia. "I'm ready," he whispered, taking her hand. "I've been ready since that night at your apartment, when you told me you had my divorce papers in your pocket. You knew I'd leave and forget them, so you picked them up and saved my ass. I knew then that we were two halves of the same person. We share a brain, a heart, and now, tonight, we're really gonna share a life. I didn't think I was when you suggested it this morning, but I'm ready for this, Liv."

Olivia squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "If we share a brain, and a heart, then you know. You know what I'm thinking right now, and how I'm feeling."

"You're thinking about how much you love me, how sexy I am, how much sand is gonna get into places we didn't know we had tonight," Elliot joked, smirking, "And you're ready."

Olivia leaned over and kissed him, then opened the car door, prepared to face Elliot's family for the first time in a very long time.

Bernadette, Elliot's mother, smiled as she saw Olivia walking toward her. "Olivia," she said, "This was a surprise, but I can't say it was unexpected." She pulled Olivia into a hug and glanced at her son. There was something hidden in her glare. Something Elliot didn't like.

His sisters gave each of them a hug, smiling, though they each made suggestive comments about not being bridesmaids, not having any of the traditional accoutrements, and of course, Olivia's not being Catholic.

They walked into the chapel, sitting for the service first, and turned as the doors opened. Elliot's two brothers, Joe Junior and Michael, the cop, walked in, followed by Cragen and Tucker who had just arrived. They eased into a pew in the back as the priest finished his sermon, then the people not staying for the event filed out.

The priest walked down the aisle as they stood and said, "I'm doing you a favor, Elliot." He shook Elliot's hand and said, "Normally, I wouldn't perform an interfaith ceremony like this, especially on such short notice."

Olivia looked nervous as she smiled at the man. If the priest asked about her faith, she was toast, since she didn't have any. At least, not in any supreme beings. All her faith lay with Elliot and the kids, and herself. In tangible objects, people who really existed. It was easy to believe in things that were real.

"I know," Elliot said with a smile, saving Olivia from having to explain her lack of Catholicism. "Thank you, Father."

The priest looked around. "Is this everyone?"

"Guess so," Olivia said with a light chuckle.

The priest smiled. "Well, if you will all please..."

"Hey," Simon's voice called as he pushed through the doors with Kathy. "Not without us, you don't." He headed toward them, pulling Kathy by the hand, and said, "Hope you don't mind, but there were a couple of people who, uh, I really don't think wanted to miss this." Simon pointed to the doors and Munch, Casey, and Alex walked through them. "Cassidy didn't want to come because...well, you know."

Olivia looked at her brother with her wide, brown, doe-eyes glittering. "Simon," she said, her voice breathy, "This is supposed to be..."

"You know damn well you're only doing this once," Simon said. "Do it right." He kissed heron her cheek, then slid into the pew beside him.

"Simon, buddy," Elliot said, jerking his head, "We're actually doing this on the beach. Outside."

Simon nodded his approval with a silly grin. "All right, Stabler," he said, getting up. "Nice to know you pat attention when she talks," he chuckled, slapping Elliot on the back.

The priest chuckled, then asked that everyone follow him out, using the rear doors, onto the white sand behind the brick building. Elliot pulled Olivia back for a moment, eyeing her up and down, memorizing the way she looked in her cream colored slip dress. Her hair, up in a loose bun, made every bit of her face visible, every expression readable. "Liv," he said, "We're doing this. Right now. If you wanna change your mind..."

"Marry me, El," Olivia said, cutting him off, "Because I'm not leaving that beach until you do."

Elliot let out a small sigh and said, "Thank God." He kissed her quickly and ran with her to where his family and their friends were waiting. As the sunlight warmed their skin and they stepped onto the wooden pathway, heading down to meet the priest, they looked at each other, for the last time before they became husband and wife, and they smiled. Elliot winked at her as they took their first step toward their new life, and neither could believe that it was all brought upon by a suggestion. One, little suggestion. Tonight, when there was nothing but them and the most secluded part of the beach they could find, Elliot would make another suggestion of his own. A shocking one.

**A/N: What's Elliot going to suggest? It isn't what you think! What does Simon do for a living? What did Elliot say in that interview? More? Do you suggest I continue? Tell me all about it, here or on Twitter, TMG212! Thanks for reading! ~TStabler©**


	22. Promises

**A/N: What's Elliot going to suggest? It isn't what you think! What does Simon do for a living? What did Elliot say in that interview? Is this the end?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks**

"Damn," Olivia said, her head resting on Elliot's chest as they lay sprawled on the blanket on the beach. "I should have gotten that one."

Elliot, his fingers running through her hair, sighed. "You should have, you're a genius," he laughed. "Okay, uh, what has four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?"

"A man," Olivia said. "Way to give me the riddle from 'Oedipus." She turned, laughing, and asked, "What are we waiting for, exactly?"

Elliot looked up at her with so much love in his eyes and said, "I told you, baby. This is a very specific fantasy. We're waiting for the right moment." He looked up at the sky, over the ocean, and he looked back at Olivia. "You married me," he said.

"I did," Olivia said with a nod and a smile. "You asked me to, El."

Elliot laughed and kissed her again. "This is nice," he whispered, dragging the strap of her dress down. "You and me," he said as he kissed her perfect shoulder. "Alone on the beach," he said, easing the fabric lower, over her body. "Talking, kissing, and just being here."

"I guess you found your perfect moment," Olivia gasped as Elliot brushed his thumbs over her cloth covered nipples.

"Not yet," Elliot said, smirking. He moved, rolling them over, and skirted his hands under her dress, lifting it over her head. he tossed it to the side and looped his legs over her, straddling her, pinning her down. He grazed his fingertips lightly over her arms and her waist before they moved back to her breasts, and he unhooked her bra, tugging it off of her skin. "This is just, like, an appetizer."

"So now I'm food," Olivia laughed. Her laughs turned to moans when Elliot bent his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth.

"I've said it before, baby," Elliot said with a smirk as he sucked and nibbled, making her crazy. "A guy's gotta eat."

"Oh, God," Olivia moaned, trying to laugh but unable to, the pleasure coursing through her body not allowing humor to shine through.

Elliot's left hand, the one with the new ring glinting in the setting sunlight, ran down her body and tugged on her panties. He moved his right hand, too, keeping his mouth attached to her nipple, and he sucked harder as he slid down the silk.

Olivia kicked them off, not caring where they landed, and she moaned Elliot's name. Her fingers, though they tingled and shook, moved to his shirt. She unbuttoned it quickly and laughed when Elliot worked out of it, still not moving his lips. "El," Olivia said on a moan as Elliot bit down slightly. "El, baby, please..."

"Shh," Elliot quieted her, letting her nipple go with a pop. "My fantasy," he said, smirking. He sat up straight, still pinning her down, and she helped him take off his belt and they made quick work of his pants. As he tossed them away, he looked up at the horizon, silently cursing. He looked back down at Olivia and bent his head, kissing her. He made the kiss slow, trying to calm them down, to buy himself more time, but when she moved her fingertips lightly over his back and neck, he moaned in aggravation. "Not how this is supposed to happen," he whined.

"Baby," Olivia said, feeling him press into her, "Tell me, what..."

Elliot stopped her talking by kissing her, then trailing kissed down her body. He kissed every inch of her body, and when he reached her waist, he looked up, smirking. "Oh, yeah, definitely eating," he mumbled. He licked up her slit, one long and slow lick, then took her clit into his mouth for a moment.

"Jesus Christ," Olivia cried, her hips raising off of the blanket.

"Taste so good," Elliot grumbled, licking again. He rested one hand on her toned stomach, holding her down, feeling her tense and release as he licked, kissed, and sucked, enjoying her flavor and the noises she was making.

Olivia yelped when Elliot bit down on her clit again, then moaned when she felt herself starting to reach her climax. Something she was refusing to do just yet. "El," she said, "Baby, stop."

Elliot looked up, stopping immediately. "What?" he asked.

Olivia pulled him up slowly, then flipped them around, smiling down at him. "Girl's get hungry, too," she said, easing her way down his body. If Elliot was confused at all by that statement, it all became clear when she took him into his mouth eagerly. This was definitely going to be a long night.

* * *

Cragen sat in the first interrogation room, staring at the tape recorder. "Can we roll that back?" he asked Ed Tucker.

Tucker complied, rewinding the tape then pushing play.

Elliot's voice filled the room, he was almost sobbing. "If anything happened to her, anything at all, I would kill whoever was responsible...and then...I'd find her."

"What do you mean by 'find her,' Elliot?" Tucker's voice asked, sounding concerned.

"It means what it means, Ed," Elliot said, sniffling, but angry. "If I had to literally find her, save her, I would. If it was too late...then I would have to take my chances and hope we end up in the same place."

Tucker's voice asked, "Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?"

"Ed, I can't live without her," Elliot said, his voice desperate. "Don't you get that? I didn't do this, I would never hurt her, and to even think..."

"Elliot," Tucker broke in, "What would you do if you couldn't work with Olivia anymore,

"You're gonna split us up over this?" Elliot's recorded voice asked, sounding panicked.

"I didn't say that, I just need you to answer the question," Tucker told him.

Elliot sighed, cleared his throat, sniffled. "If I couldn't work with Olivia, then I couldn't do this job," he said. "I can't go backwards, Ed. I can't be the man I was before her, I don't even remember who I was before Liv. All I know is, she makes me better. A better father, a better lover, a better cop...she makes me a better man, and without her..."

Tucker interrupted him. "I don't think anyone wants to see that."

Cragen stopped the tape, wiping his eyes. "Shit," he said. "Stabler yelled, threw things, and then cried, that part...damn. I knew they were close, but I didn't think..."

"Don," Tucker said, shaking his head, "This was Elliot Stabler being completely honest, raw. He didn't hold back like he usually does. Do you know why?"

Don nodded. "We were questioning his feelings for Olivia, and their relationship," he said. "If this was about anything else..."

"We wouldn't have gotten passed, 'Yell and throw things.' He's serious, Don," Tucker said. "I think if we split them up, you're gonna lose your best detectives. Neither one will work with someone else. At least, they won't be effective or happy about it."

"Then we don't split them up," Cragen said, pushing the tape recorder away from him. "We give them new contracts."

"What?" Tucker asked, confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Cragen rubbed his eyes and said, "If they can't work without each other, maybe they should be bound, by contract, to not work with anyone else. At least, not permanently."

Tucker looked at Cragen and shook his head. Some of his suggestions were just amazing.

* * *

Kathy walked in, looking around her place. She sighed when she saw his shoes on the floor in the corner, and she felt a strange pang of guilt that they weren't Elliot's. "Simon," she called. "We need to talk."

Simon came out of the kitchen, a large wooden spoon in his hand. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I know it was hard for you, watching him marry her..."

"I'm fine, this isn't about them," Kathy said. "If we're gonna do this..."

"This?" Simon asked, tilting his head.

"Us," Kathy clarified, "You need to choose. Me or your job. I have already been in a relationship with a cop and the hours he pulled, with the woman he pulled them with, destroyed our lives."

Simon smirked. "I'm not Elliot," he said. "And I don't have a female partner."

"You work the same shitty hours," Kathy said, rolling her eyes. "I would never see you, and I'm not going through that again."

Simon stepped up to Kathy and smiled. "It's not gonna be like that," he said. "I swear. If it means that much to you, I will switch shifts. I'll transfer to days. They could always use..."

Kathy kissed him, shutting him. "Thank you," she whispered, smiling.

Simon looked at her, and he said, "It's still just as dangerous, ya know."

"I know," Kathy said, nodding. "But at least, during the day, there's less of..."

"No, there isn't," Simon said. "People die during the day. People are killed during the day, Kathy. It's the same as it was with Ell..."

"But he was never off duty," Kahty said, smiling. "You would be. Right?"

Simon nodded. "If I transfer shifts, yes. I'd come home at five." He kissed her. "Is that what you want?"

Kathy shrugged. "Just a suggestion," she said, winking.

"Oh, you and your suggestions," Simon said. "Ya know, it's not gonna be any easier. Homicide and Special Victims, we see the same things, and I'm not gonna..."

"Talk to me," Kathy interrupted. "Don't shut me out like he did."

Simon looked up at her and sighed. Then he nodded, knowing he would have to open up to her, or he would lose her.

* * *

Elliot, finally moving inside of Olivia, felt the water swirling by his feet. He had waited for sunset, and as soon as the sun hit the horizon over the water, he grabbed Olivia, flipped them over, and slowly eased inside of her. The tide came in, just as he imagined it would, and was lapping at their feet and ankles, sparking chilling sensations that contradicted the heat coursing through their bodies. This was his fantasy, come to life. This beach. This moment. This woman.

"Elliot," Olivia groaned, raking her nails up his back as he thrust into her.

Elliot kissed her, moaning unintelligibly, still in shock that this was happening, really happening.

"Oh, El," Olivia moaned, pulling him closer. She clenched around him, holding him close, writhing, vibrating under him.

"I love you," Elliot told her, hitting into her slowly. "I love you so much," he whispered, kissing her again.

Olivia clamped around him hard, her orgasm rushing through her, and her release triggered his. He shot hotly inside of her, grunting and murmuring her name over and over again. When they had finally finished, he stilled inside of her and rolled them over again, so he wouldn't crush her when he collapsed.

"Oh, my God," Olivia gasped, trying to catch her breath, her feet settling into the water.

"Liv," Elliot breathed. "Tell me everything. Everything you're thinking, everything you're feeling, always. Promise me. I can't live through another marriage where I'm closed off and shit out, and I know you tell me anyway, I just...you need to do that for me. Promise." He kissed her sweat-covered forehead and said, "Keep nothing from me, and I won't keep anything from you. No secrets."

Olivia nodded into his chest. "I promise. We don't have any anyway," she whispered, her eyes closing. "Jesus, that was incredible."

"It always is," Elliot chuckled, kissing her eyelids. "Liv," he said, waiting for her to look at him.

"Yeah," Olivia replied, looking up at him.

"I have something...that I want you to sign," Elliot said, taking a breath.

Olivia tilted her head. "It's a little late for a pre-nup, El."

Elliot chuckled. "No, I...I want you to sign the deed to the house, and the title to my car, and guardianship papers," he listed, staring up at the sky. "I want everything to have your name on it, including the kids. I want people to know, everyone to know, legally, that we're in this together, forever."

"Forever's a long time, El," Olivia said, tears in her eyes.

"Yeah," Elliot said, looking into her brown orbs. He brushed a tear away with his thumb and said, with a chuckle, "But ya know, it's only a suggestion."

Olivia smiled at him and kissed him, moving herself over and onto him again. Their relationship had come full circle, from one suggestion to another, and they finally felt as if everything was falling into place. They were happy, in love, and living in the moment, a moment that would last forever. They defied anyone to suggest otherwise.

**A/N: The End. Thank you so much for reading this story, and for all of you who favorited/reviewed, you are the ones who kept it going for as long as it did. Be on the look out for a new fic, taking the place of this one. ;) All my heartfelt thanks, TStabler TMG212 on Twitter **


End file.
